Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Unsettled weather through the next few days. Not enough weather inputs to significantly shift the danger ratings.
Confidence
Moderate - Freezing levels are uncertain on Wednesday
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY: Flurries, accumulation 5-10cm / Light to moderate south wind / Alpine temperature -2 / Freezing level 1500mTHURSDAY: Cloudy with sunny breaks / Light south wind / Alpine temperature -4 / Freezing level 1300mFRIDAY: Scattered flurries / Light to moderate south wind / Alpine temperature -3 / Freezing level 1400m
Avalanche Summary
Since the cooling weather trend there have been no reports of significant avalanche activity.
Snowpack Summary
Last weekend rain soaked the upper snowpack for a second time in a week. This time all the way to mountain tops. Cooling temperatures will have formed a 10-30cm rain crust on the surface. In parts of the region there may now be a thin layer of new snow sitting on top of the crust. Below the crust expect to see moist or wet snow. The late-February facet / surface hoar interface (70-120 cm deep), the mid-February crust (90-130 cm deep), and basal facets in shallow snowpack areas may still be present at upper elevations and may still be reactive and become a concern as surface crusts break down with daytime warming.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.