Danger ratings are for areas in the South of the region that have already received 10 cm new snow and are forecast for 5-10 cm more by morning. These ratings may be a bit too high for other areas.
Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Thursday: Snow is forecast overnight and Thursday as the Arctic front moves south and cools the moist air left behind as the low pressure moves to the Southeast. Expect 3-5 cm in the North and 5-10 cm in the South. Light to moderate Northwest winds and freezing levels dropping down to about 500 metres by morning.Friday: Mix of sun and cloud as the cold arctic air dries out the airmass. Freezing levels at valley bottoms and moderate Northwest winds. Alpine temperatures around -12 C.Saturday: Mostly sunny with alpine temperatures around -10 C and light Westerly winds.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches reported.
Snowpack Summary
Below freezing temperatures have created a solid melt-freeze crust at all elevations and on most aspects. Sheltered North aspects in the alpine may have stayed dry and now have facetted surface snow. New snow may not bond to the old surface where surface hoar has grown at and below treeline. In the alpine the new snow may not bond to the crust depending on the timing of the cooling. There continues to be a concern for deeply buried layers of weak facetted crystals, this is mostly a concern on slopes with a shallow and variable snowpack in the Duffey Lake and Chilcotin areas.
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.