The winds associated with the last storm have created a great spatial variability in the snowpack. Isolated instabilities may persist.
Watch for signs of instability such as whumphing or shooting cracks.
On the northern aspects, the storm slabs are resting on a layer of facets above the New Year's crust, which will prolong their instability.
No new avalanche was reported or observed. If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations at [email protected] or on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
The extreme winds from the last storm have redistributed the snow very unevenly. The eastern and southern aspects are generally exposed to the crust. On the lees aspects (North west to North East), wind-pressed pockets of dense snow are showing impressive accumulations, with up to 130 cm of snow overlying the New Year's crust. A layer of facets has been observed between this new snow and the crust. Below treeline, despite this latest storm, the hazard is generally below threshold.
Synopsis: Expect cold temperature on Friday, before the storm on Saturday's.
Thursday evening and night: Cloudy. West winds from 50 to 60 km/h. Min -13C. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Friday: Mostly cloudy. 1-2 cm of snow. Northwest winds from 50-55 km/h. Max -19C. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Saturday: Cloudy. Snow starting in pm. Southeast winds increasing to 120 km/h. Max -3C.
Sunday: Cloudy. Light snow. Southeast winds from 45 to 55 km/h. Max -10C.
For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.
