Avalanche Forecast
Sea To Sky
10 to 25 cm of snow accompanied by southwest wind is expected Monday night. This snow adds to the existing wind stiffened storm slab that rests on a crust. If overnight snow totals exceed 20 cm in your local area, the Alpine danger may be "High."
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be cautious in lee features above treeline, recent snow mixed with wind loading is forming slabs.
- Choose relatively conservative lines and watch for clues of instability.
- The new snow may require another day or two to settle and stabilize.
Avalanche Summary
On Monday control work produced avalanches to size 2 with crowns averaging 20 cm in depth. On Sunday ski cutting in the alpine triggered small avalanches in steep lee terrain.
Snowpack Summary
15 to 35 cm of new snow sits on a crust that formed Saturday. About 20 cm of moist snow can be found below the crust. The new snow was redistributed by moderate to strong southeast through southwest winds on Sunday. Up to 100 cm below the surface there is a widespread melt-freeze crust that was buried on December 15th. This layer has not produced much in the way of avalanche activity and is likely trending towards dormancy. Beneath the mid-December crust, the lower snowpack is generally strong and well settled.
Weather Forecast
Continued precipitation is expected through Monday night before a brief lull in the action Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday's system has potential to be juicy, but there is a lot of discrepancy surrounding how much precipitation it will deliver. Stay tuned for details.
MONDAY NIGHT: Overcast, freezing level around 1000 m, moderate southwest wind, 10 to 25 cm of snow.
TUESDAY: Overcast, freezing level around 1000 m lowering through the day, light southwest wind, 5 to 10 cm of snow expected.
WEDNESDAY: Overcast, freezing level around 500 m, light scattered wind, trace of snow possible. Up to 30 cm possible Wednesday night.
THURSDAY: Overcast, freezing level may rise as high as 750 m, strong west wind, 10 to 30 cm of snow possible.
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10 to 25 cm of snow accompanied by continued southwest wind Monday night will add to recently formed slabs that are sitting on a thin crust in many terrain features. The presence of crust may enhance the slabs sensitivity to human triggering.