Kootenay Boundary

Storm slabs continue to settle and gain strength but the deeply buried persistent weak layer remains a concern.

Wednesday: overcast with snow starting in the afternoon and up to 5cm expected overnight, light southerly winds, -5C at 1500m. Thursday: clearing, isolated flurries possible early in the day, light westerly winds, freezing level rising to 1100m.  Friday: flurries starting late in the day, light to moderate southwest winds, freezing level 1500m.

Although avalanche activity associated with the recent storm seems to be slowing we continue to receive reports of natural and skier triggered slab avalanches up to about size 2 releasing down 20 to 30cm. The storm snow is especially reactive where it is sitting on surface hoar. Steep slopes are sluffing with skier traffic.

A soft storm slab 30-40 cm deep can be found across most of the region. This new snow lies above a variable old surface buried at the end of January. This interface is being reported as a layer of surface hoar at treeline in the Rossland area. However, in most other parts of the region the new snow sits on a rain crust and/or old wind slabs. A weak layer buried mid-January can be found down 45-50cm, however, snow pit tests indicate that this layer is gaining strength. Deeper in the snowpack, the persistent weak layer that was buried earlier in January is now down 80-120 cm and continues to give sudden planar fractures in snowpack tests under moderate to heavy loads. Im keeping this one on my radar.