Confidence
Fair - Due to limited field observationsfor the entire period
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Increasing clouds throughout the day, but no precipitation is expected until the evening. The freezing levels should drop to around 1900m as the temperature inversion weakens. Alpine winds are expected to remain light. Wednesday: Light flurries possible in the morning, then clearing throughout the day. Light northerly winds with freezing levels around 1200m. Clear, light wind , and freezing levels around 1900m.
Avalanche Summary
Warm temperatures and sun-exposure has resulted in small wet loose avalanches in steep south aspects.
Snowpack Summary
New surface hoar is growing, surface snow is faceting, and wet surface snow on south facing slopes is freezing into a crust overnight. In wind-exposed areas, expect to find a variable mix of hard wind slab, scoured areas, and sastrugi. The prominent feature in the upper snowpack is a thick rain crust from last weekend, which extends well into treeline elevations. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled and strong. Basal depth hoar probably lurks in thin snowpack areas.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.