Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Tuesday

Monday: 8-12cm of snow / moderate southwest winds / freezing level at surfaceTuesday: moderate snowfall arriving tuesday evening / moderate to strong southwest winds / freezing level rising to 1300m by eveningWednesday: continued snowfall through early morning / winds becoming light and westerly / continued warm temperatures

Numerous natural avalanches from size 1 to size 2.5 were observed in the last 24hrs. Expect continued reactivity over the next few days.

On friday and saturday storm snow accumulations amounted to over 40cm in some parts of the region (throughout the Monashees and the Revelstoke area) and closer to 20cm on the southeast side of the region. The upper snowpack is now characterized by deep wind slabs and storm slabs sitting on top of dry loose snow. Due to the nature of the most recent storm (warmer temperatures, moderate winds) you can expect a more reactive "upside-down" snowpack in wind-exposed areas where a denser layer over-rides colder, softer snow where weaknesses are more likely to endure. Various surfaces buried in early January including a rain crust, spotty surface hoar and preserved stellar snow crystals are now about 80-100cm deep and may provide a sliding layer for storm-related avalanches. A surface hoar layer buried in mid-December is gaining strength, but professionals are still treating it with caution as the consequences of an avalanche on this layer would be high. Occasional hard, planar results have been reported on this layer in snowpack tests. It's now down about 140cm in the snowpack.