Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Crawford, Grohman, Kokanee, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Moyie, Norns, Retallack, Rossland, South Okanagan, St. Mary, Valhalla, Ymir.
Assess for wind slabs along ridges and in alpine terrain.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
A few small (size 1) dry loose avalanches were observed on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Most parts of the region received 5 to 10 cm of new snow on Tuesday, with up to 15 cm in parts of the Selkirks. A total of 15 to 30 cm of dry snow sits atop melt-freeze layers. Several crusts may be found in the top 50 cm of snowpack, depending on aspect and elevation.
The facet/crust layer that caused large avalanches in March is buried 100 to 180 cm deep and is unlikely to trigger under the current conditions.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear. 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Wednesday
Mix of sun and cloud. 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with afternoon flurries and up to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.
Friday
Up to 5 cm of snow overnight then cloudy with isolated flurries during the day. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent snowfall was accompanied with southwest wind, likely leaving reactive slabs on some leeward terrain features.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5