Regions
Northwest Inland.
Confidence
Fair - Due to limited field observations
Weather Forecast
This region should remain dry from Sunday through Tuesday. Freezing levels will be around 1500 m, with an overnight freeze expected on Sunday night with clear skies, but not on Monday night, as clouds roll in on Monday afternoon, which will prevent the heat escaping. Winds are expected to be moderate southeasterly for Sunday and Monday, veering southerly on Tuesday.
Avalanche Summary
Point releases, especially on south facing terrain have been reported from the last few days up to size two. Note, we are currently receiving very little information about this region.
Snowpack Summary
Moderate winds have blown light amounts of new snow into variable wind slabs in exposed lee and cross-loaded terrain, which are starting to bond. Surface snow on sun-exposed slopes is undergoing a daily melt-freeze cycle. In sheltered areas 15-30cm of recent new snow sits on previous surfaces that include crusts (found on all aspects below 1000m and on solar aspects higher up), and old wind slabs. Daytime warming and sun-exposure will cause surface snow to lose cohesion and cornices to weaken. Wet slabs also become a possibility during periods of prolonged warming, especially if there is minimal amounts of overnight freeze.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.