Regions
Northwest Coastal.
When the sun comes out it will quickly weaken the surface snow. Watch for signs that the snow is heating up such as pin-wheeling or the snow surface becoming moist.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Light northeasterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +2. Freezing level around 1200 m.TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. Light southwesterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +1. Freezing level around 1100 m.WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy with flurries. Light southwesterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +2. Freezing level around 1200 m.
Avalanche Summary
Several naturally triggered wind slabs up to size 2 on steep alpine features were reported near Bear Pass on Saturday. On Wednesday, a size 2.5 persistent slab avalanche was remotely triggered by a group of skiers on a ridgetop from 10 m away. The avalanche failed on surface hoar about 70 cm deep on a north aspect at 1800 m near Bear Pass.
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of recent storm snow and strong variable winds have formed wind slabs on a variety of aspects at treeline and above.In the south of the region, two layers of surface hoar are buried approximately 70-100 cm deep. The layers are most prominent on north to east aspects and were buried early-March and mid-March. In the north of the region, these layers are around 40 cm deep.Bellow these March layers the mid-pack is generally well-settled and strong. However, shallower parts of the region, such as the far north, have weak sugary facets near the bottom of the snowpack.
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.
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.