Wind continues to impact new flurries and loose snow, slabs will be most reactive around ridge features and wind loaded terrain.
Flurries and recent snow continues to be redistributed by wind. Wind slabs will be most reactive around ridges and in leeward terrain.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Alpine temperature -7 C. Southwest wind, 30-50 km/hr.
Thursday: Flurries and snow, 5-15 cm. Alpine temperature -5 C. Southwest wind, 30 gusting to 70 km/hr. Freezing level 800 m.
Friday: Sun, cloud, and isolated flurries, 5-15 cm. Alpine temperature -6 C. Southwest wind, 30-50 km/hr. Freezing level 700 m.
Saturday: Cloudy with isolated flurries, 5-10 cm. Alpine temperature -4 C. Southwest wind 15-20 km/hr gusting to 70 km/hr. Freezing level 1100 m.
There have been no recent reports of avalanche activity.
Flurries and snow will add to the 10-20 cm low density snow around the region. In exposed areas, moderate south-southwesterly winds have redistributed snow and developed wind slabs around ridge features and into the alpine.
Reports suggest there are 2 buried layers of surface hoar in the upper snowpack - one down 15-25 cm below the new snow, and another down 25-40. Where wind has scoured the snowpack, a crust from November is at or near the surface. In leeward terrain, this crust is 40-80 cm deep, and may include surface hoar in sheltered openings up to treeline.
Older crusts can be found deeper in the snowpack and are generally breaking down. In areas with a relatively thin snowpack, the base of the snowpack likely consists of weak faceted grains.
