Fresh snow accumulating with strong winds may quickly produce reactive slabs. Or barely cover low-snowpack hazards.
In areas that accumulate over 20 cm of fresh snow, slabs will be reactive to skiers, especially in open and wind-affected areas. Lower elevations may still be below the threshold for avalanches
No new avalanches have been reported, however there have been few field observations.
If you head into the backcountry by any method of travel, please consider submitting observations and/or photos on the Mountain Information Network.
Snowfall is forecast overnight with strong wind, with 15-25 cm accumulation by Saturday morning.
Southwest winds have impacted 10-20 cm of recent snow, forming slabs in lee features. This covers a settling snowpack containing several melt-freeze crusts. Overall, treeline snowpack depths are shallow, between 80-140 cm, and early-season hazards are prevalent at 1400 m and below.
Friday Night
Snowing. 10-20 cm of snow accumulating overnight. Strong southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with flurries, another 5-10 cm of snow in isolated areas throughout the day. West ridgetop wind decreasing to moderate. Treeline low around -8 °C.
SundayCloudy with sunny breaks. No precipitation. Light north ridgetop wind. Treeline low around -12 °C.
MondayCloudy with flurries. 20 cm of snow. Increasing southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline low around -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
