Avalanche Forecast

High -

Sunday night: Cloudy with clear periods. Light northwest winds.Monday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Isolated flurries with a possible trace of new snow. Light northwest winds shifting southwest and increasing in the evening. Alpine high temperatures around -11.Tuesday: Cloudy with scattered flurries bringing about 5 cm of new snow. Strong southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -6.Wednesday: Cloudy with diminishing flurries and around 2 cm of new snow. Light northwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -7.

Observations of the latest avalanche activity in the Cariboo region are still minimal, but we do have a report detailing a small wind slab reacting to ski cutting on a steeper northeast aspect in the alpine, with a slab depth ranging from 20-70 cm. Given roughly similar upper snowpack characteristics of the neighbouring North Columbias, it is reasonable to expect the more widely reported size 1-2 storm slab and wind slab observations from that region to mirror the existence of - and potential for - similar activity in the Cariboos.

10-20 cm of new snow from the weekend now sits above a layer of large surface hoar crystals and sun crusts. Because the average depth of new snow is quite thin, the greatest danger exists at higher elevations where strong southerly winds during and immediately after the storm formed deeper deposits on lee slopes. New snow deposits that overlie sun crust on steep, south-facing slopes may be especially touchy. At lower elevations, the new snow has been settling into a thin but reactive slab over the above mentioned weak layer, with enhanced reactivity noted at elevations between about 1500-1800 metres, where surface hoar is particularly well-developed. This will mainly be an issue in areas that hold 15 or more cm of new snow.The middle and lower portions of the snowpack are generally well-settled and strong.