Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Thursday

Generally clear skies are expected for the forecast period as a ridge of high pressure becomes established over much of the province. Winds are forecast to be light to moderate from the northwest becoming southwesterly on Saturday. Daytime alpine temperatures are expected to hover between 0.0 and +5.0.

A widespread natural avalanche cycle took place in recent days in response to heavy snowfall, rising temperatures and high winds. Numerous very large avalanches ( size 3's and 4's ) have been reported. Wind slabs and shallow snowpack areas are areas of high concern. With forecast clear skies and warm temperatures, avalanche activity will likely include loose wet avalanches; however, persistent slab avalanches will remain a very real possibility.

Snowpack depths vary, but in general there is now 200 to 250cm of snow at tree line and as much as 300 cm in select places in the alpine. In some areas we're still dealing with a relatively thin snowpack thanks to a windy early season and strong winds scouring slopes during recent storms. About 100cm of storm snow fell over the past week and has been blown into stiff wind slabs in many areas. Below the recently formed storm slab you may find soft facetted snow and/or surface hoar buried around January 8th. This layer may coexist with a crust at lower elevations. Surface hoar layers buried in November and early December may still be found in the mid to lower snowpack, but are generally considered to be unlikely to trigger.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 likely the reason so many large naturals were reported during and after this last storm cycle.