Tuesday will be the last fine day to enjoy winter conditions before Wednesday's rain and the refreezing crust that should form on Thursday.
Very dense wind slabs are present in very localized areas at the start of couloirs, under convexities and in cross-loaded depressions. These slabs could be triggered in places where the snowpack is thinner (near rocks).
No new avalanches reported or observed.
If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
In the alpine and in areas affected by the wind, you'll find a multitude of old, very hard wind slabs.
These slabs are overlying older/denser snow or a weak layer of facet grains.
Between 5 and 20 cm of cold powdery snow can be found on sheltered slopes. The mid-snowpack is well consolidated, resting on the December 30 combo of facets and crust. Facets and depth hoar are developing at the base of the snowpack.
Synopsis: Tuesday will be the calm before the storm. According to the weather models, we're expecting close to 30 mm of rain starting on Wednesday, with warm temperatures and strong winds. This will be followed by a drastic drop in temperatures on Thursday, and perhaps a little snow.
Monday evening and night: Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. Wind northwest, 20-30 km/h. Minimum -13C.
Tuesday: Cloudy. Wind south, 30 to 40 km/h. High -3C.
Wednesday: Cloudy. 20 mm rain. Wind south, 40 to 60 km/h. Maximum +5C. Freezing level at 2500m.
Thursday: Cloudy. 10 mm rain followed by 10 cm snow. Wind northwest, 40 to 60 km/h. Cooling temperatures down to -20C.
For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.
