Northwest Coastal

Strong winds and new snow in the forecast are expected to build reactive new wind slabs.If you see blowing snow, avoid lee features, especially near ridgelines.

Several small (size 1 to 1.5) wind slabs occurred throughout the region on Monday. Some occurred naturally and others were human triggered.

With more snow and wind in the forecast we can expect to see more avalanches like this over the next few days. Wind slabs will be particularly reactive where they overlie surface hoar, facets or a slippery crust.

On the surface, 15 to 30 cm of wind-affected snow rests on a thick rain crust. An additional 2 to 15 cm of snow is expected overnight and by the end of Wednesday, along with strong winds. The higher snowfall amounts are forecast for the southern half of the region.

In some areas surface hoar and/or facets are buried below this surface snow, 10 to 40 cm deep.

Recent and forecast strong winds have varied in direction, so wind slabs may be present on all aspects. These slabs should bond quickly, but may be more reactive where they overlie the weak surface hoar and facets.

The mid and lower snowpack have no layers of concern at this time.

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 2 to 8 cm. 40 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind in the southern parts of the region, 15 km/h in the north. Treeline temperature -6 °C

Thursday

Cloudy with 3 to 10 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.
• Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
• Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.