Persistent slab avalanches remain possible on north-facing alpine slopes, especially if triggered by a cornice fall.
It remains possible to trigger avalanches on buried weak layers, particularly where they are shallow in the snowpack and/or do not have a thick crust above them.
Recent avalanche activity has been limited to cornice falls (mostly size 2) and a few wet loose avalanches. The only notable persistent slab avalanche in the past two weeks occurred on Apr 11, triggered by riders east of Wasa. Under current conditions, the most likely place for a large avalanche is a cornice falling on a north-facing alpine slope.
About 5 cm of recent snow sits above a hard melt-freeze crust on northerly alpine slopes. Elsewhere, a thick crust caps the surface. This crust will likely soften during the day and refreeze overnight.
The bottom half of the snowpack is generally weak and faceted.
Lower elevations are melting rapidly.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Thursday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Sunny. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
