Give the new snow time to settle out. Expect to see hazard increase as another system rolls in Saturday night.
New snow Friday formed reactive slabs and may need some time to settle out. As another system rolls in Saturday night, expect to see winds pick up through the day and freezing levels start to rise both which could contribute to a more reactive snowpack.
Friday night: Isolated flurries, partly cloudy with starry breaks. West-southwest winds, 25-35 km/hr. Alpine temperature low -4 C. Freezing level dropping below 1000 m.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Southwest winds 20-50 km/hr. Alpine temperature high +1 C. Freezing level 1500 m and rising by end of day.
Sunday: Wet snow and rain, 30-50 mm. Southwest winds 35-45 gusting to 70 km/hr. Alpine temperature high +3 C. Freezing level 2500 m.
Monday: Tapering flurries, 5-10 cm. Southwest winds 30-40 km/hr. Alpine temperature high +1 C. Freezing level 2000 m and dropping.
A natural avalanche cycle occurred overnight Thursday-Friday, large storm slab avalanches (size 2-2.5) in alpine and upper treeline features were reported Friday morning. Through the day, explosives triggered large (size 2) storm slab avalanches.
30-50 cm fresh snow through Friday covered a variety of pressed surfaces and a supportive supportive mid-November rain crust. The snowpack is drying out from the mid-November rain event, but moist snow is still found below the crust and to the ground.
Snowpack depths range from 40-70 cm at treeline elevations. Expect to find a deeper snowpack at higher elevations and in wind-loaded areas. Snowpack depths decrease rapidly below 1500 m.
Early season hazards are very real right now, be wary of thin/shallow snowpacks, rocks, stumps, creeks, and other sharks hidden under fresh snow.
