Avalanche danger will increase throughout the day as new snow accumulates.
If you see 30 cm of new snow, treat the danger as HIGH.
Weak layers from January and February persist within the upper 100 cm of snow. New snow will increase the likelihood of persistent slab avalanches.
Storm slabs will develop as the new snow piles up. The more new snow there is, the more likely storm slabs are.
On Thursday, there was a large (size 2) skier-accidental avalanche that failed on the mid-February weak layer. No one was caught. The avalanche was in the northwest Purcells, on a west facing alpine slope.
There were also several small storm slabs, dry loose, and wind slabs reported on west and northwest aspects in the alpine.
On Wednesday, south of Revelstoke there was a large (size 3) natural persistent slab avalanche. It failed on the late January weak layer.
Anywhere from 5 to 15 cm of new snow is expected by the end of the day Saturday.
A 3 to 5 cm thick melt-freeze crust, buried 10 to 15 cm deep, is present on all aspects except north-facing slopes above 2000 m. Surface hoar has been noted on this crust.
A weak layer, composed of facets, surface hoar, or a crust, is found 20 to 60 cm deep from mid-February. Another persistent weak layer, buried in late January, lies 50 to 110 cm deep. This layer is surface hoar, facets, or a crust, depending on the aspect.
The remaining snowpack is well-settled and strong.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow, some areas may get up to 30 cm. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.
Sunday
Cloudy with 20 to 50 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.
Monday
Cloudy with 10 to 30 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
