Avalanche Forecast

Good - -1

A ridge of high pressure is expected to rebuild on Sunday over the interior mountains. Moisture that is left over from the weak system on Saturday will continue to cause mid-level cloud and very isolated flurries on Sunday. Winds are expected to continue to be light in the Purcells and start to swing to the northwest in the afternoon. The freezing level is forecast to rise to about 1100 metres on Sunday and drop overnight to about 900 metres. Treeline maximum temperatures should be about -4.0 on Sunday and Monday. A weak Pacific system is expected to run into the ridge of high pressure on Monday that should cause some light flurries. The wind should change to north on Tuesday as more high pressure moves across the interior Clear skies and strong solar radiation is expected during the day on Tuesday, however northwest winds should help to keep alpine maximum temperatures close to -10.0 on shaded aspects. . Temperatures should drop down to about -17.0 in the alpine by Wednesday morning.

One report of a natural cornice fall that triggered a deep slab size 3-3.5 down 150-200 cm on a steep northeast aspect in the high alpine. This was reported from Friday in the west of the region in a deep snowpack area. Some sloughing was reported from steep solar aspects at lower elevations.

Widespread surface hoar continues to grow and has not been buried in most of the region. A melt-freeze crust has developed on southerly aspects at all elevations. North and east aspects continue to have dry snow and some surface hoar sloughing in steep terrain. The January 13th surface hoar layer is buried about 40 cm below the surface, and may still be reactive in thinner snowpack areas. Basal facets have not been reactive, but operators continue to monitor this layer in tests. Triggering this deep persistent weak layer is unlikely, but shallow snowpack areas or shallow weak areas adjacent to deeper wind loaded slopes are suspect locations.