Regions
South Coast Inland.
The lure of powder slopes and sunny skies will be strong on Sunday. Take a cautious approach towards more aggressive terrain - especially steep, wind-affected terrain.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
We'll see a clearing trend on Sunday and fine weather during the week.Sunday: Clearing in the morning and then dry with some sunny breaks. Light northwesterly winds. Freezing levels 800m.Monday: Sunny with cloudy periods. Freezing levels around 600 m. Light northwesterly winds.Tuesday: Mainly sunny and becoming warm up high. Freezing levels rising to 2000 m. Light northerly winds.
Avalanche Summary
Little activity has been reported lately, although there are not many observers out there right now. Small wind slabs are the most likely type of avalanche over the next few days.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 30-50 cm of new snow now sits on top of a rain crust that formed during the wet weather in late November. The crust is reported to be thick (15 cm) below treeline and thin (2 cm) in the alpine. On Saturday, moderate southeast winds in the south (Coquihalla) were reported, whilst moderate southwest winds were reported in the north (Duffey lake zone). The take home message is that southerly winds have blown snow around in exposed areas creating drifts and scoured areas. Stubborn wind slabs have formed near ridge crests and lee features.Treeline snow depths are approximately 110 cm throughout the region.
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.