Use caution on steep wind-loaded slopes on Saturday. Avalanche danger will increase on Sunday with the incoming storm.
Wind slabs may have formed over the past few days below ridgelines and on the sides of steep gullies. Recent weather trends suggest they will be small and isolated, but it's worth evaluating your route for wind slabs given the limited number of observations.
No new avalanches have been reported over the past few days, but there was some evidence of old wind slab avalanches in alpine bowls.
Small wind slab avalanches are possible in isolated steep terrain on Saturday. A period of natural avalanche activity can be expected later in the day on Sunday as the incoming storm intensifies.
A few centimetres of moist snow from the past few days sits over crusts and wind-hardened layers. Shaded areas at upper elevations may still have some dry snow on the surface. The Northern Peninsula may have deeper deposits of fresh snow. Forecasts called for 10 to 15 cm in that area over the past few days, but we do not have field observations to verify those amounts.
The snowpack is generally dense and bonded, with a few crust layers found throughout.
Friday night
Partly cloudy skies, no precipitation, 20 km/h northwest wind, mountain temperatures cool to -5 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and cloud, no precipitation, 20 km/h northwest wind, mountain temperatures around -2 °C.
SundaySnowfall increasing in intensity throughout the day with 5 to 15 cm possible by the evening, chance of freezing rain, strong southeast wind with gusts to 70 km/h, mountain temperatures around -2 °C.
MondayHeavy snowfall continues Sunday night with another 10 to 30 cm possible by the morning and flurries throughout the day bring another 5 to 15 cm by the evening, strong wind shifts to the west with gusts to 90 km/h, mountain temperatures cool to -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
