Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Crawford, Grohman, Kokanee, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Norns, North Okanagan, Rossland, Shuswap, South Okanagan, Valhalla, Ymir.
Watch for signs of instability as you travel, storm snow may remain triggerable as it sits over a new rain crust.
Greatest reactivity is expected in wind affected terrain.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Reports from Saturday indicated sluffing of the new snow on the rain crust. With further snowfall on Saturday night, we expect avalanche activity to have increased and slabs likely remain reactive to human triggers.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 20 cm of new snow has fallen in the last 2 days. This sits over a hard rain crust in most areas (see below). Surface hoar may remain below the storm snow in areas that did not receive much rain early in the storm.
Below the new storm snow, the snowpack is well-settled, dense, and generally strong. Treeline snow depths range from 100 to 150 cm.
Weather Summary
Sunday Night
Mostly clear skies. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures drop to -8 °C.
Monday
Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -4 °C.
Tuesday
Sunny with increasing afternoon cloud. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Wednesday
Partly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
- Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
- Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm snow will be most reactive in wind affected terrain. Watch for signs of instability, the crust below may provide a good sliding surface for avalanche activity.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2