Avalanche Forecast

On Sunday, the stormy conditions and poor visibility kept many users and operators out of the backcountry. No new avalanches have been reported however we expect users who head into the backcountry on Monday will see evidence of a natural storm slab avalanche cycle to size 2 that occurred during the storm.

By Monday morning 25 to 40 cm of storm snow overlies a variety of surfaces. Most concerning is the large surface hoar found in sheltered terrain, and a crust on south-facing slopes. In exposed terrain at higher elevations, new snow covers old wind-affected surfaces.

A widespread crust is found down 60 to 100 cm, with weak, faceted snow immediately above it. Uncertainty exists over whether this layer will become active with the heavy load of new snow.

Sunday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C. Freezing levels drop to 500 m.

Monday

Partly cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C. Freezing level hovers around 500 m.

Tuesday

Increasing clouds with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with snow switching to rain, accumulation 10 to 20 cm above the rain-snow line. Freezing level rises to 1500 m. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. 

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
• Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.