Northwest Inland

Some wind slab may continue to linger in the alpine. Watch for the distribution of weak surface layers in advance of the weekend storm.

High

Some light flurries expected on Wednesday night and Thursday morning as a weak low pressure system slides out of the south towards the northwest. Light to moderate easterly winds are expected for Thursday and Friday under broken skies. Southwest winds developing on Saturday in advance of a possible storm early next week.

No new slab avalanches have been reported. Loose snow sluffing up to size 1.5 from steep terrain in the northwest of the region.

Although recently formed wind slabs have likely gained strength, I'd remain cautious on steep, unsupported slopes in the immediate lee of ridge crests. Thanks to recent solar radiation and warmer alpine temperatures, you'll likely find a melt-freeze crust on steep, sun-exposed slopes at higher elevations. We're still dealing with a thin, early-season snowpack for much of the Northwest Inland region. Shedin creek snow pillow is at historical minimum snow depth, and Tsai creek snow pillow is setting a new historical minimum snow depth. Between 80 and 100 cm of snow can be found at tree-line in the south and west of the region, with closer to 60 cm in the east. A weak basal layer probably exists in most areas, and I suspect that the ongoing cold temperatures have continued to promote faceting in the snowpack, especially in shallow, rocky areas.