Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the timing or intensity of solar radiation and its effect on the snowpack.

Stormy weather continues up north, while the south of the region sees a temperature inversion ushering in warm temperatures at higher elevations. 

Friday Overnight: Cloudy, with up to 5 cm of new snow in the north of the region. Strong to extreme southwest winds. Freezing level around 1000m.

Saturday: In the south of the region, partially cloudy skies with the potential for a temperature inversion with above 0 C temperatures in the alpine. In the north, mainly cloudy, up to 10 cm of new snow, accompanied by moderate to strong southwest winds. 

Sunday: Cloudy, up to 5 cm of new snow accumulation. Moderate to strong westerly winds. Freezing level around 1000m.

Monday: Partially cloudy, light northwest winds. Freezing level rising to 2500m.

On Thursday, numerous natural, human-triggered, and remote-triggered storm slab avalanches up to size 2.5 were observed throughout the region. A buried layer of surface hoar, and below 1300m a thick melt-freeze crust likely contributed to the reactivity and wide propagation of these storm slabs.

On Thursday, 30 to 50 cm of snow fell, with snow switching to rain up to around 1000 m around the Terrace area. Storm slabs rapidly built during the storm along with wind slabs in terrain exposed to the wind from strong southwest wind. In some areas, these slabs overlie a weak layer of buried surface hoar and a hard melt-freeze crust below 1300 m. The presence of these weak layers means reactivity might persist.

A layer of sugary facetted grains may be found about 80 to 130 cm deep, which formed during the cold spell in late December to early January. To date, this layer has only been problematic in the northern half of the region.

The remainder of the snowpack is strong in the south of the region. In the north of the region, the base of the snowpack consists of faceted grains around a melt-freeze crust, which is currently dormant.

• Avoid open slopes and convex rolls at and below treeline where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
• Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
• Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
• Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.