Consider danger HIGH if you see 20 cm or more of new snow.
Retreat to more conservative terrain if you encounter any signs of instability.
Weak layers formed in February and January persist within the upper 80 cm of the snowpack. We expect to see increased reactivity on these layers with the added stress of new snow, strong wind and warming temperatures.
New snow and strong southwest winds may form new storm slabs. Weak facets and/or surface hoar may persist beneath the recent snow, increasing storm slab reactivity.
Tuesday: Riders remote-triggered slabs in the Torpy (photo below)
Monday: Several natural and human-triggered avalanches were reported. A few were remote-triggered, indicating a touchy weak layer.
Last Weekend: A natural avalanche cycle (up to size 2.5) was reported on all aspects at all elevations.
Looking forward: Snowpack tests and remotely triggered avalanches indicate that storm slabs and persistent weak layers are still primed for human triggering.
A new rain crust exists up to 1500 m in some areas. 15 - 40 cm of recent storm snow, accompanied by strong southwest alpine winds built widespread slabs. An additional 5 to 20 cm of new snow or rain at lower elevations is expected overnight and through Thursday. The highest precipitation amounts are expected in the southeastern parts of the region. The storm snow is covering surface hoar or facets in many areas. Persistent weak layers formed through January are buried between 50 to 80 cm. These consist of more surface hoar and faceted grains, and/or a hard crust. These layers continue to be source of concern and potential for large step-down avalanches.
Wednesday Night
Cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow / possible rain below 1500m. 50 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2000 m dropping to 1500 m.
Thursday
Cloudy with 0 to 10 cm of snow / possible rain below 1200 m. Heaviest precipitation forecast for the southeastern parts of the region. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.
Friday
Mostly sunny. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom overnight and back up to 1600 m through the day.
Saturday
Cloudy with 1 to 4 cm of snow / light rain below 1500 m. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
