Fresh storm slabs are forming over a shallowly buried weak layer. This means they are easily triggered and may be larger than expected. Stick to simple terrain free of overhead hazard.
New snow and wind are forming fresh, reactive slabs. Be aware of the potential for deeper than expected storm slabs due to the presence of a buried crust in the upper snowpack.
Friday night: 5-10 cm of new snow. Strong southwest wind. Freezing level climbing to 800 m.
Saturday: 5-15 cm of new snow. Strong southwest wind. Treeline temperatures around -1 C. Freezing level 1400 m.
Sunday: 10-25 cm of new snow. Moderate southwest wind. Treeline temperatures around -6 C. Freezing level 1000 m.
Monday: 10-20 cm of new snow. Light southeast wind. Treeline temperatures around -4 C. Freezing level 1000 m.
Recent avalanche activity has been limited to small sluffs or soft slabs running above the shallowly buried crust.
Avalanche activity is expected to be larger and more widespread during the storm on Saturday.
10-25 cm of new snow falls amid strong wind. This new snow falls on top of ~20 cm of settling snow from the past week, sandwiched by crusts above and below. The lower crust is the most prominent and widespread, formed during last week's atmospheric river. There is also a thin breakable crust closer to the surface. We are uncertain about how reactive the recent snow will be as it settles over the upcoming days. Snow depths are roughly 60-120 cm at treeline and the majority of the lower snowpack consists of thick crust layers.
