Stormy weather continues, bringing strong winds and up to 90 mm of precipitation as rain or snow by Monday afternoon.
Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
A crust / facet layer from mid-November is buried 60 to 100 cm deep. Storm slabs in motion may step-down to this layer causing very large avalaches.
Up to 90 mm of precipitation combined with strong southerly winds is continuing to build widespread thick and reactive storm slabs above the rain/snow line.
Wet loose avalanches may be possible if the snow surface is moist or wet, especially during periods of rain.
On Thursday, several size 2-2.5 explosive-triggered slabs occurred in the Duffey area. They were suspected of having stepped down to the mid-November persistent weak layer.
The incoming storm is expected to greatly increase the likelihood of both natural and human-triggered avalanches.
50 to 90 mm of precipitation, combined with strong southerly winds, is forecast to fall by 4 pm Monday. This is adding to the approximately 10 to 25 mm that fell on Sunday. We expect to see widespread reactive storm slabs building as a result.
The snow/rain line elevation is uncertain and expected to fluctuate during the storm. It's possible we could see rain up to 1800 m. There is potential for wet loose avalanches where the snow surface is wet.
A crust with facets, formed in mid-November, was buried 50 to 100 cm before the storm. Storm slabs have the potential to step down to this layer.
Snowpack height averages around 100 to 180 cm at treeline and decreases rapidly below 1500 m.
Sunday Night
Cloudy. 20 to 45 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.
Monday
Cloudy. 30 to 45 mm of snow or rain at treeline. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1700 to 2100 m.
Tuesday
Cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1500 - 1000 m.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
