Kananaskis

Update 8am. Avalanche danger has increased to High in alpine areas with the new snow and moderate to strong winds over the past 24hrs. More snow is forecast to fall over the day.

Moderate

• We are uncertain due to the timing of the incoming weather system.

No avalanches observed over the past 24hrs.

10cm of snow throughout Tuesday and another 10cm overnight (forecast to fall) will be overlying a widespread surface crust that is up to 35cm thick and found up to 2400m. Underneath the crust the snowpack remains moist to a depth of as much as 40cm down.

Above this elevation the recent precipitation mainly came as snow that has been moved around by recent moderate to strong winds forming windslabs in alpine areas. These slabs are up to 50cm thick and forecasters have lots of uncertainty at the underlying interface.

If snowfall amounts are higher than forecast, avalanche danger may begin to approach high by Wednesday morning. Pay close attention to localized snowfall amounts and winds.

Another 5-10cm of snow is forecast overnight before the storm lets up on Wednesday morning. Winds on wednesday will be moderate to strong out of the SW and a freezing level around 1500m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.
• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
• Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.