Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Due to the number and quality of field observations

On Sunday morning, the warm ridge of high pressure that has dominated the weather in the interior regions over the last few days will be replaced by an Arctic ridge of high pressure. This will result in colder temperatures but the generally dry conditions will remain. Some disturbance is expected as the pattern changes which will result in increased cloud cover and light flurries for Sunday.Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud, light flurries 1cm, temperature inversion breaking down and treeline temperatures dropping to around -5C, light NE winds at treelineMonday: A mix of sun and cloud, dry conditions, treeline temperatures around -8C, light NE winds at treelineTuesday: Mostly sunny, dry conditions, treeline temperatures around -8C, light SW winds at treeline

On Friday, a natural size 3 deep-persistent slab avalanche was reported. This occurred on a North aspect at 2000m. Also reported on Friday were several natural loose-wet avalanches up to size 2 on steep, south-facing terrain resulting from solar radiation and warm temperatures.

Snowpack depths vary, but in general there is around 200 to 250cm of snow at tree line and as much as 300 cm on lee slopes in the alpine. In the south and to the east of the region, there are still areas with a relatively thin snowpack. The recent dry, warm weather has generally consolidated the upper snowpack. As temperatures now begin to cool, stability in the upper snowpack should increase further. Keep in mind that 'Low Hazard' does not mean 'No Hazard' and that residual risk of avalanches still exists. Old, stubborn hard wind slabs may still exist in isolated areas. A basal facet/crust combo (weak sugary snow above and below a crust) near the ground is still a concern in some areas, and was the culprit with some of the very large recent avalanches. . The depth of this layer makes triggering an avalanche on it unlikely (maybe a heavy load on a thin spot in steep terrain, rapid temperature change, or cornice fall), but the consequences would be large and very destructive.