Poorly bonded slabs will likely become increasingly dense and reactive with rapidly warming temperatures Wednesday.
Intensifying wind transport and rapid warming will likely have a destabilizing effect on recent snow. Winds slabs are most likely to be triggered in leeward terrain features such as ridgecrests, roll-overs and cross-loaded gullies.
Wind slab avalanches up to size 2 were observed along the Klondike Highway on Monday.
Early season observations are very limited. Please consider sharing your observations with forecasters and the backcountry community through the Mountain Information Network.
20 to 40 cm of new snow since Sunday will become cakey and heavy with temperatures warming to above zero below 1500 m on Wednesday. The recent snow has likely been wind loaded into leeward terrain features, and is suspected to have a poor bond to old, hard and faceted surfaces.
The remainder of the snowpack is generally strong, with some crusts near the base.
Snow depths vary significantly, averaging around 70 to 130 cm at Whitepass.
Tuesday Night
Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level rapidly rising to 1500 m.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 60 to 80 km/h ridgetop wind. Treeline high 2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.
Thursday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow overnight with 2 to 5 cm over the day. 50 to 70 km/h ridgetop wind. Treeline high 1°C. Freezing level 1400 m.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow overnight and 5 to 10 cm over the day. 40 to 60 km/h ridgetop wind. Treeline high -1°C. Freezing level 800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
