Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Watch for increased winds Friday at upper elevations. We will see a change in conditions over the next few days as solar inputs increase. There is enough uncertainty to bump up the danger, but many areas will stay in the Moderate rating Friday.
Weather Forecast
There will be a slow increase in solar input and a general warming trend over the next week. which is certainly the transition to a spring . On Friday some regions will see high solar input (especially on the front ranges) with strong alpine winds. Every day will be slightly warmer on the weekend and rapidly rise starting Monday.
Snowpack Summary
15-30cm recent low density snow (higher amounts in western regions) over previously wind blown surfaces in the alpine, and 30-50cm of facets below. Lower elevations are completely faceted to ground. Steep areas continue to produce sluffing in many areas with buried suncrust on steep S aspects.
Avalanche Summary
Sporadic activity up to size 2.5 over the last 24 hours in Kootenay and Sunshine, with less activity in other regions. Some were wind slabs which entrained facets to 2.5 which ran far which correlates to previous explosive control and observations over the last few days.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.