It feels like spring in the valley bottoms but it is still winter up high and avalanche hazard still exists.
Weather Forecast
Warm temperatures and no overnight freeze forecast for this weekend with daytime highs of 10C in the townsite. This will be accompanied with strong to extreme WSW winds and freezing levels to 2000m. More precipitation looks like its on its way Sunday night into early next week.
Snowpack Summary
Warm temperatures and sunny skies will be triggering wet avalanches in the new snow at all elevations. The snowpack at higher elevation, including cornices, are still large and demand respect. Watch out for new windslabs.
Avalanche Summary
Wet avalanches have been observed in Waterton running up to 250m from steep aspects from the alpine on all aspects. Cornices have also be failing in the areas around Waterton running far.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.