Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Northern parts of the region could see a little more snow over the next day or two, which could lead to locally higher avalanche danger. If more than 10 cm of new snow falls (with wind) expect considerable danger in the alpine.
Weather Forecast
Tonight and Tuesday: Mainly cloudy with light precipitation ~ 5 cm. The freezing level is around 1200 m on Tuesday and winds are strong to extreme from the West. Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with continued flurries or light snow. The freezing level should drop back to valley bottom throughout the day and winds should ease to light from the NW. Thursday: Mainly sunny and cooler. The freezing level should be at valley bottom with moderate northerly winds.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches have been reported in the last few days.
Snowpack Summary
In general, snowpack depths are below seasonal average any many slopes below treeline are reported to be below threshold for avalanche activity. Deeper snowpacks may exist to the north of the region.Light snowfall and strong West-southwest winds have formed pockets of soft wind slab in exposed areas above treeline. Recent snowfall overlies weak faceted crystals, small surface hoar or older hard windslabs in exposed high elevation terrain. Between 35 and 50cm below the surface you may find a weak layer of surface hoar on sheltered slopes and a melt-freeze crust on steep solar aspects. Most reports indicate this layer is "stubborn" to trigger, or there may not be a deep enough overlying slab to create a significant hazard. That said, I'd remain curious about this interface, especially as the snow load increases.There are reports of a deeply buried early season crust that formed in October, this layer is more likely to be found near the ground in the high alpine on northerly aspects. Little is known about its reactivity in this region.
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.