Until cold temperatures lock in this warm and wet snowpack, dangerous avalanche conditions and poor riding quality will exist.
Wet slab avalanches have been failing on or stepping down to buried weak layers in the mid and lower snowpack resulting in very large avalanches running to valley bottom.
Basal facets remain a concern in steep, rocky alpine features with thin-to-thick snowpack transitions. Avalanches triggered on this layer have been large and destructive.
Sunday and Monday saw, numerous large to very large slab avalanches were reported from the region up to size 3.5. Avalanche activity has been observed at all elevations.
Light snowfall continues to accumulate in the high alpine and be redistributed by southerly winds. Elevated freezing levels and rain have moistened the surface snow to 2500 m and wet, rain saturdated snow exists up to 2200 m.
The stress of the new load (warm, wet upper snowpack) has been actively producing avalanches failing down to the early and mid January crust/facet layer (30-80 cm down) and the early December rain crust/ facet layer (100+ cm down) which remains a concern above 2000 m in shallow snowpack areas.
The lower snowpack is characterized by weak basal facets in many areas.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy with light rain/snow expected, alpine temperatures near -3°C, south alpine wind 15 gusting to 60 km/h, freezing level around 1600 m.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy with light rain/snow expected, southwest alpine wind 40 to 50 km/h, freezing level around 2800 m in the south (Gold Range, Northern Selkirks) and 1700 m in the north (Cariboos).
Thursday
Cloudy with light rain/rain possible, alpine temperatures near -1°C, southeast alpine wind 25-45 km/h, freezing level rising to 1900 m.
Friday
Mostly cloudy, isolated flurries, alpine temperatures -3°C, southeast alpine wind 10 to 20 km/h, freezing level rising to 1400 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
