Winter conditions persist. An incoming storm may deposit up to 25cm of storm snow. Watch at your local level for wind and storm slab development.
Weather Forecast
Temperatures will still remain relatively cool for the next few days, with valley temperatures barely reaching above zero. Snowfall starting late today will deposit up to 30cm by midday on Tuesday. Currently the wind is blowing from the East and we expect it to swing back around to the SW late Monday and it will remain in the moderate range.
Snowpack Summary
10 - 20 cm of new snow over the last 48 hours with wind effect from moderate - strong SW winds. Buried temperature crusts exist to 2000m on all aspects and higher on solar slopes. The March 15 sun crust is down 25-50 cm on solar aspects in the alpine, this, and shallow areas harboring weak facets remain worth watching as temperatures slowly climb.
Avalanche Summary
3 skiers were hit from above by an avalanche and pushed approximately 500m down a couloir and onto a fan near Bow Lake yesterday. The debris spread out on the fan and all three skiers ended up on the surface. They sustained some injuries but were able to get back to their vehicle on their own. Lost skis, poles and other gear.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Monday
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
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.