Very dangerous conditions exist. Manage the uncertainty around buried weak layers by sticking to low-angle non avalanche terrain, avoiding overhead hazard.
Buried weak layers are most concerning at treeline elevations. Small avalanches may step down to this layer resulting in very large, destructive avalanches.
New snowfall amounts will vary within the region , expect storm slab destructive potential to increase in areas with snowfall amounts that are greater than 20 cm.
No new avalanches reported on either Friday or Saturday. On Thursday, a skier trigger avalanche was reported on a north east treeline terrain feature, this avalanche failed on the persistent slab and was nearly 1 meter in depth.
Wednesday a naturally triggered size 1.5 persistent slab avalanche was observed in the alpine on a west aspect.
The storm has as of Saturday afternoon delivered over 25 cm and this new snow overlies a variety of surfaces including surface hoar. Expect strong southwest winds to strip snow from ridgelines and exposed features and deposit new snow into deep pockets in lee aspect terrain. Below this, 50-100 cm of old storm snow continues to settle over a facet/surface hoar/crust layer.
In the mid snowpack, an older problematic combination layer of faceted snow over a thick crust is estimated at 80-140 cm deep. This layer is the primary avalanche concern in the region, continuing to show sensitivity to human triggers and produce concerning snowpack test results. The lower snowpack is well settled and strong.
Saturday night
Cloudy with snowfall 5-10 cm. 50-80 km/h southwest alpine winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C with freezing levels falling to 900 m.
Sunday
Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 1-5 cm of new snow,. 30-50 km/h southwest alpine winds. Treeline temperature -1 with freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Monday
Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 1-5 cm of new snow,. 30-50 km/h south alpine winds, easing. Treeline temperature -3 with freezing level around 1000 m.
Tuesday
Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 1-5 cm of new snow,. 30-50 km/h south alpine winds, easing. Treeline temperature -3 with freezing level around 1000 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
