Avalanche Forecast

High

At the time of publishing this forecast, no new avalanches have been observed or reported.

A natural avalanche cycle is expected to have occurred during Saturdays storm.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowfall amounts in excess of 50 cm have reached the threshold for critical loading. This combined with warming temperatures have potentially transformed the upper snowpack into a dense slab that overlies a firm crust at treeline. North through east-facing slopes in the alpine that are protected from the wind are likely have buried surface hoar which sits over moist snow. It is expected that the strong southwesterly wind has stripped snow accumulation from exposed alpine features, transporting it to North aspect terrain. Continued developed of deep wind slabs are possible due to the ongoing wind and available snow.

Snow depths at treeline are estimated to vary across the region from 65 cm to 200 cm.

Saturday Night

Snow 10 to 25 cm. 30 to 80 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Sunday

Snow at higher elevations and rain 5 to 10 mm. 20 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Monday

Snow 1 to 2 cm. 15 to 1 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0°C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Tuesday

Afternoon clearing. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.