Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

A ridge of high pressure has set up over the province and will bring mainly clear skies for the forecast period. Ridgetop winds should remain light and northwesterly on Tuesday and Wednesday. Winds will switch to southwesterly on Thursday intensifying throughout the day. Alpine temperatures should sit between -12 and -16 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then rise slightly on Thursday.

No recent avalanches have been reported.

Light amounts (10-15cm) of snow fell over the weekend with slightly higher amounts expected in the far west of the region. Variable winds have likely shifted the new snow into fresh and reactive wind slabs in upper elevation lee terrain. We're still dealing with a thin, early-season snowpack for much of the Northwest Inland region. Between 80 and 100 cm of snow can be found at tree-line in the south and west of the region, with closer to 60 cm in the east. A weak basal layer probably exists in most areas, and I suspect that the ongoing cold temperatures have continued to promote faceting in the snowpack, especially in shallow, rocky areas.