Purcells

Spring conditions. Avalanche danger is expected to rise during the day with warming and solar radiation. Plan to retreat to cooler north-facing terrain if the snow surface is becoming moist or wet.

High

SUNDAY: Mainly sunny. The freezing level dips to 1000 m overnight but shoots up to 2300 m in the afternoon. Winds are light and variable. MONDAY: Sunny in the morning with increasing cloud late in the day. The freezing level remains near 2500 m and winds are light. TUESDAY: Cloudy with possible showers or flurries. The freezing level is around 2500 m. Winds could increase to moderate from the SW.

There are very few reports trickling in at this time of year. One observer did report a few size 3 slabs from solar aspects that likely occurred on Thursday or Friday. Loose wet activity to size 2 was also reported. The possibility of wet slabs and cornice falls will increase if the snowpack does not refreeze overnight and temperatures remain high.

The snow surface is currently going through a typical spring melt-freeze cycle on all aspects and at all elevations, except possibly high true-north slopes which could be holding onto cold snow. A moist/wet, isothermal, and rapidly melting snowpack exists on all aspects below around 1500 m and probably even higher on solar aspects. The strength (thickness) of the surface crust and how quickly it breaks down during the day are important factors to focus on. A few lingering persistent weak layers still exist in the upper snowpack (50-130 cm deep). There has been no recent reported activity on any of these layers, but there is potential for wet slabs to release on one of these layers, or near the ground, when it's sunny and hot.