South Columbia

Forecast wind speeds are highly uncertain for Monday. If winds are strong, new wind slabs may form in exposed lee terrain, and the avalanche danger may be higher than posted.

Low - Wind speed and direction is uncertain on Monday

Monday: Clear skies / Moderate northwest winds / Alpine temperature of -21Tuesday: Clear skies / Moderate northwest winds / Alpine temperature of -20Wednesday: Clear skies / Light northwest winds / Alpine temperature of -18

On Saturday, loose dry and soft wind slab avalanches to size 1.0 were reported at treeline and in the alpine. If the wind picks-up on Monday, new wind slab activity will likely occur, especially in areas where snow surfaces are loose and unconsolidated.

20-50cm of recent low density storm snow is settling slowly due to the cold temperatures. Variable wind effect has created wind slabs in the alpine in some areas, while other operations report little or no wind resulting in loose unconsolidated snow. The depth of the mid-november crust is also variable across the region. Reports have the crust down between 100-200 cm and snowpack tests have produced a wide array of results from moderate sudden planar to hard resistant planar, and in some cases no result. Watch for near surface facets developing in the upper snowpack that may develop a poor bonding layer before the next storm. If you dig down to the crust, watch for facets developing above and/or below that may provide a weak layer above a smooth sliding surface in the future.