Weather models suggest 5 to 10 cm of snow with strong wind Saturday night, but we could wake up to more. A conservative mindset and being on high-alert is important to manage early-season uncertainties.
Snow will fall with strong west wind on Saturday night into Sunday. Wind slabs will likely form in exposed terrain, particularly near ridges. Conservative and thoughtful travel is recommended to avoid these terrain features.
New snow on Saturday night will fall with strong westerly wind, transporting snow to lee terrain features near ridges. This snow will continue the accumulation over two melt-freeze crusts found in the middle and near the base of the snowpack. There is uncertainty with how the snow is bonding to these crusts, and they may act as a sliding layer for snow above them. This requires conservative travel and being on high-alert to manage the uncertainty.
The snowline starts at about 1500 m. At around 1650 m, you may find about 40 cm of snow. As you move higher into the alpine, you could find between 50 and 100 cm of snow.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong west wind, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level 1300 m.
SUNDAY: Morning snowfall and afternoon clearing, accumulation 5 cm, moderate to strong west wind, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level 1400 m.
MONDAY: Partly cloudy skies, light northwest wind, alpine temperature -8 C, freezing level below valley bottom.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy skies, light east wind, alpine temperature -12 C, freezing level below valley bottom.
Numerous storm slab avalanches were observed across the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is likely that they were sliding on the melt-freeze crust described in the snowpack summary. The new snow on Saturday night and Sunday will increase the likelihood of triggering avalanches at higher elevations in the mountains.
Observations are limited right now, with recreationists starting to get into the mountains and operations soon to open. If you see anything while out in the field, please consider sharing that information with us and fellow recreationists via the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
