South Rockies

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Sunday

A pacific frontal system builds into the area late Saturday evening which will produce 5 - 10 cm of new snow as it persists through Sunday. Expect a daytime high of -2 @ 1500 m on Saturday with an overnight low of -11. Winds will be strong out of the SW Saturday.

Our field team was out in the region Thursday investigating a slide that ran full path. This avalanche path has a SE facing start zone that had been crossloaded by the recent westerly winds. A wind pillow failed high on the slope triggering a size 3 avalanche with a crown as deep as 85 cm. The likely culprit is a crust/facet combo from mid-December.

Last week 40-60cm of snow formed soft slabs over a crust/facet/surface hoar combo which has settled remarkably quickly.Deeper in the snowpack, a surface hoar layer buried in early December remains a concern, as avalanches triggered on this layer would be destructive. There may have been releases on this layer post storm but at this time nothing has been reported. It should be noted that basal facets exist in many parts of the region too. Facets sandwiched between two firm layers in the top metre of the snowpack are being monitored in the south-east.