Regions
Northwest Inland.
New snow, strong winds, and warm temperatures are a sure sign of developing avalanche activity. Careful route selection will be critical for back country riding!
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
A Pacific cold front will cross into the interior today (Friday) and tomorrow with a moderate amount of precipitation. Upper elevations may receive 15 to 20 cm of snow along with strong South winds. Freezing level will rise to close to 2000m Friday then begin a slow descent to valley bottom by Sunday morning. For more in-depth information see:https://avalanche.ca/weather
Avalanche Summary
Commercial operators closer to the coast are reporting up to 50cm of new snow in the past 24hrs with rain up to treeline and above. Limited observations due to low cloud from this storm. No avalanches observed.
Snowpack Summary
Incoming precipitation will add additional load to the already reactive wind slabs in lee terrain at treeline and into the alpine. Snow and winds from earlier in the week have added size and destructive potential to the developing wind slab problem. There are a variety of interfaces including old wind slabs, hard crusts, surface hoar, and/or surface facets buried below the recent storm snow. At the base of the snowpack, weak facets may be found and could possibly be triggered with a big enough load such as a cornice failure. Cornices are now getting to be large and potentially unstable. Solar aspects are also a concern, especially in the afternoon. There is concern for the combination of new snow load, strong winds and rapidly rising temperatures.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
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.