Kootenay Boundary

Potentially warm temperatures at upper elevations Monday afternoon could bump up danger ratings, keep an eye on the thermometer.

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain on Monday

Monday: Clear skies, light to moderate NW winds, no precipitation, freezing level rising to 1500m with potential for above freezing temperatures at upper elevations in the late afternoon. Tuesday: Increasing cloud cover, light SW winds at valley bottom, moderate NW winds at ridgetop. No precipitation, freezing level rising to 1500m. Wednesday: Increasing cloud cover, light NW winds, no precipitation, freezing level rising to 1500m.

No new avalanche activity to report.

Up to 5cm of snow covers a widespread layer of surface hoar above a crust that extends all the way to ridge crest. The curst is effectively "capping" the snowpack and doing a good job of protecting the buried weak layers bellow. However, I suspect that the mid-January surface hoar layer could still produce an avalanche if given a large enough trigger in the right spot. It can be found down about 1m in the alpine and 50-60cm at treeline. The mid-December crust/facet/surface hoar weakness may persist in the mid to lower snowpack at higher elevations.