South Okanagan

Avoid complex and wind-loaded terrain.

Storm slabs will be building throughout Sunday.

On Friday, skiers near Silver Star ski cut a few small size 1 wind slabs.

On Thursday, skiers near Big White ski cut several small wind slabs on alpine northeast-facing slopes.

With new snow and wind in the forecast, we expect storm slabs to become increasingly reactive on Sunday.

Up to 20 cm of new snow is expected to fall on Sunday, building widespread new storm slabs at upper elevations. Due to forecast winds, these slabs are expected to be thickest and most reactive on wind-loaded north and east-facing slopes. Warm temperatures may result in rain and moist or wet snow at lower elevations. Below the new snow, 30 to 50 cm overlies a melt-freeze crust. Two weak layers of surface hoar and/or faceted grains associated with a crust from late January and mid-February may be found 60 to 120 cm deep. Recently, these layers have been unreactive and are not a significant concern. The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and strong.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 25 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with 15 to 20 cm of snow / possible rain below 1500 m. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.

Monday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow / possible rain below 2000 m. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level rising to 2300 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with light rain. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +5 °C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
• As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
• Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.