Kananaskis

A warm wet storm is moving through the region starting tonight, 20cm by morning and Extreme SW winds will bump the danger rating to HIGH in the alpine & CONSIDERABLE at treeline. (Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making essential.)

Moderate

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

No new avalanches observed or reported today.

On a snowmobile trip up in to the highwood today, moist snow was found well above 2300m and only gaining height as the heat continues. As we left around 14:00 light snow was starting at the pass 2200m but at the parking lot it was raining @ 1700m. Looking forward the wind has done a lot of pressing and scouring in the region and there will be a blanket of new snow covering this up tomorrow, Observe what aspects you are travelling on and consider whats under foot. Solar aspects sun crusts, polar aspects hard slabs West aspects in the alpine are completely stripped of snow. Dig down and have a look.

Saturday: The evening will remain warm with higher freezing levels (1800m) an increase in precip, rain,sleet & snow elevation dependent.

Sunday will see mostly cloudy skies & some cooler air move through the region and all remaining precip come as snow. Forecast models are predicting 20cm by Sunday afternoon.

The storm will move through with extreme winds out of the SW and finally taper Sunday evening straight out of the West.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.
• Be aware of the potential for human triggerable storm slabs at lower elevations, even on small features.
• Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.