Dangerous avalanche conditions exist at higher elevations where new snow struggles to bond to surfaces below
Human triggering potential persists as natural avalanche activity tapers off
25 to 50 cm of snow and moderate southwest winds have built reactive wind slabs at higher elevations. Give the slabs time to settle and bond before pushing into bigger terrain.
A problematic combination of weak faceted snow and/or surface hoar over a crust remains a concern in isolated treeline terrain.
No new avalanches had been reported in the region by 4 pm on Monday, however, operators who were in the field reported seeing signs of instability as they moved through the terrain, such as cracking and whumpffing. We expect users who head into the backcountry on Tuesday will see evidence of a natural storm slab avalanche cycle that occurred during the storm.
Strong southwest winds have redistributed 25 to 50 cm of storm snow into wind slabs in lee terrain features at higher elevations. Recent snow overlies a variety of surfaces including surface hoar in sheltered terrain, and a crust on south-facing slopes. In exposed terrain at higher elevations, new snow covers old wind-affected surfaces.
A widespread crust is found down 60 to 100 cm, with weak, faceted snow immediately above it. This layer will need time to adjust to the new snow load, human-triggering remains a possibility.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 10 to 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C. Freezing level drops to valley bottom.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.
Wednesday
Cloudy with snow switching to rain in the afternoon, accumulation 10 to 20 cm above the rain-snow line. Freezing level rises to 1500 m. 60 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level drops to 800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
