Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
The new snow following the storm will be touchy on steep slopes, especially where it has been blown into pillows by the wind.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
Friday: Some lingering flurries possible, otherwise cloudy. Winds 20-30 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level around 1600 m. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with some sunny breaks. Winds 10-20 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level around 1600 m. Sunday: Bright and sunny. Calm winds. Starting cool but freezing level rising to 2000 m during the day.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous naturally triggered loose wet avalanches to size 1.5 were reported in this region on Tuesday. It's highly likely we'll see some natural avalanche activity in steep terrain from the storm on Thursday, although I expect the size of avalanches to generally remain small.
Snowpack Summary
New snow and shifting wind directions have created fresh wind slabs on a variety of aspects at Treeline and above. The new snow will be prone to sliding in steep terrain where it is sitting on a crust. Cornices are large in some areas and could trigger large avalanches when they fail.
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.