South Rockies

Check out the South Rockies Blog for thoughts on early season forecasting in this region. If you have recent observations please send them to [email protected]

Poor - Due to the number of field observations

Thursday: Continued dry conditions and light winds with a mild temperature inversion possibly creating valley fog and above freezing temperatures in the alpine.Friday: Cloud cover should increase throughout the day west of the divide, while the east side should stay clear. Light southwesterly winds with freezing levels in valley bottoms. Saturday: Cloudy with light snow, light southwesterly winds and cooling temperatures west of the divide, while the east side could experience Chinook conditions with strong winds, clear skies and warm temperatures.

The last reported avalanche activity was during the tail end of the storm on Tuesday Nov 19th, but reports have been limited. Smooth alpine slopes that did not previously slide may still be of concern. With very little data on the current conditions, you need to be your own detective out there. If you see or trigger an avalanche, please send us a note at: [email protected].

Treeline snowpack depths in sheltered areas vary between approximately 40-100 cm. The current snowpack has been subjected to strong wind, cold temperatures and Chinook driven warming. As a result it should be easy to find wind scoured snow, old wind slabs, crusts and faceted snow.A crust or significant density change with associated facets may be lurking down around 40 - 70 cm, particularly in the eastern part of the region. Reported snowpack test results vary from a sudden planar "pop" to no result at all. Below this near the base of the snowpack, an earlier crust buried in October lies just above the ground. This layer may still be of concern on isolated smooth terrain features that have not seen avalanche activity.