South Rockies

Eastern and southern parts of the region saw a lot of recent snow, which will need some time to settle. A weak layer buried 30-50cm is expected to cause trouble.

High -

Thursday: mostly dry during the day, light snow starting late afternoon. Moderate westerly winds. Treeline temperatures around -18C in the morning, warming to about -10C.Friday: Expect 4-10 cm on the ground in the morning from light overnight snow that may continue until noon. Winds becoming light easterly. Treeline temperatures around -14C.Saturday: Dry and sunny and cold. Temperatures around -20C or lower. Winds moderate northwesterly.

An avalanche cycle was reported from the east of the region where higher snow amounts occurred. Avalanche activity is likely to decline with cooler, drier weather.

In the southern and eastern parts of this region, up to 70 cm of snow has fallen in recent storms, combined with variable winds. In the Elk Valley, the amount of new snow is more like 30 cm. The new snow has fallen on a variety of surfaces including old crusts, wind-scoured surfaces and, in sheltered terrain at and below treeline, very large feathery surface hoar crystals. The two crusts that were buried near the end of November can be found lower in the snowpack. A third crust from the end of October exists near the base of the snowpack. Recent testing on this crust did not produce significant results.