New snow brings a welcome refresh to conditions, but it will increase danger on Saturday. Watch for shooting cracks and natural avalanches that indicate storm slabs are a problem.
There is great variability in the distribution of forecast snowfall amounts. The deeper the new snow, the more dangerous the storm slab problem is bound to be.
No new avalanches have been reported, but the new snow on Saturday may make it easier for riders to trigger avalanches.
New snow is falling on a variety of crystals that it may not bond well to. Including surface hoar in open, sheltered terrain, suncrusts, and wind-affected snow.
The snowpack is well-settled, dense, and generally strong. A layer of buried surface hoar may be found 60 to 80 cm below the surface in some areas but hasn't produced avalanches recently.
Treeline snow depths range from 100 to 150 cm.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, increasing. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C with a temperature inversion.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 25 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C, inversion ending.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy, clearing. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Monday
Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
