New snow and strong southerly winds will build reactive storm slabs on Tuesday.
Storm slabs have the potential to step down and trigger large, destructive avalanches.
Weak layers remain a concern in this region, especially where there is no supportive crust above. Areas where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick, and rocky terrain features should be approached cautiously.
Dry snow avalanches will be easily triggerable until the new storm snow has time to settle.
Storm snow is falling on a weak underlying surface, and storm slabs are expected to increase in size and sensitivity throughout the day.
Observations have been limited in this region, but we suspect that a natural avalanche cycle is occurring.
If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you're seeing by submitting a MIN report.
By Tuesday morning, 40-80 cm of new snow will have fallen throughout the region. This new snow is falling on surface hoar and facetted snow from recent cold temperatures. In open areas, strong southerly winds will be redistributing new snow, creating wind-affected surfaces.
The mid snowpack, down 100 to 150 cm, weak layers of surface hoar, facets and crusts remain a concern, especially where there is no crust above. Triggering of these layers is becoming less likely, but remains at a depth where human triggering is possible.
The remaining snowpack is generally well settled and well bonded.
Monday Night
Cloudy. 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy. 4 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
