6am update: More snow than expected has fallen overnight, with heavy snowfall continuing today
Avoid exposure to avalanche terrain during periods of rapid loading from new snow and/or wind
Storm slabs are set to build throughout the day and will be more reactive on north through east faces where wind deposited snow will be thicker.
We haven't received any recent reports of avalanches. If you're heading into the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
25-30 cm of new snow is set to fall by the end of the day Saturday. With forecast strong winds this snow is set to form reactive storm slabs, especially on lee north and east slopes.
The field team has found a buried weak layer of surface hoar and facets 35-60 cm below the surface. While triggering this layer is unlikely, there is potential for smaller avalanches to overload this layer triggering a larger step-down avalanche.
The overall midpack is generally settled and strong, with the average snowpack depth at treeline around 150 cm.
Friday Night
Cloudy with 10-20 cm of new snow, south alpine wind 40 km/h, treeline temperature low -10°C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 -15 cm of new snow, southwest alpine wind 70-80 km/h, treeline temperature 0°C and freezing levels rising to 1000 m.
Sunday
Cloudy with up to 30 cm of new snow / heavy rain, south alpine wind 50-60 km/h, treeline temperature 1°C and freezing levels rising to 1300 m.
Monday
Cloudy with 5-10 cm of new snow / moderate rain, south alpine wind 40-60 km/h, treeline temperature 3°C, freezing level up to 1700 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
