Northwest Coastal

Good

Tonight and Tuesday: Cold and clear conditions will prevail over the Northwest region. Winds are forecasted to be strong from the NE and alpine temperatures to be around -18 C.Wednesday: A weak upper trough might bring a trace of precipitation. Moderate winds from the E are forecasted with alpine temperatures warming up slightly to around -13 C.Thursday: A similar pattern should persist with lighter winds from the SE with clear skies.

There was report of small loose dry avalanches in very steep terrain and of a skier triggered slab avalanche size 1 in a thin windslab.

5-10 cm of dry snow has been redistributed by strong winds from the NE-SE winds creating pockets of relatively thin windslabs on immediate lee features in the alpine and at treeline. These windslabs are sitting on weak surfaces like a crust or on the late January surface hoar layer. It has been reported that they are reactive to skier traffic. A well settled mid and lower snowpack is resting on basal facets, which is a concern especially in thin snowpack areas at higher elevations. At the surface of the snowpack, there is widespread growth of surface hoar and surface facetting which should continue with the forecasted clear and cold temperatures.