Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
New snow and wind are creating windslabs in the alpine. Expect sluffing in steep gully features above treeline.
Weather Forecast
The forecast region will be influenced by a trough late Wednesday. Expect to see a sharp drop in temperature with a steady feed of snowfall. Accumulations of up to another 20cm is expected by the end of Friday. Wind is primarily coming from the south and expected to be in the moderate range.
Snowpack Summary
5-10cm of new snow overnight brings the snowpack to ~70cm at treeline with up to 100 cm in alpine locations. Oct 31 crust is now buried 20-25cm down. Snowpack tests showed breaking below the Oct 31 crust today. The crust disappears on N aspects at ~2500m. Wind transport was observed in the alpine with a high likelihood of wind slab development.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed or reported today.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations on Tuesday
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.