Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain

Thursday: 10-20 cm new snow expected with the heaviest amounts likely to be in the south of the region. Strong southwest winds up to 80 km/h expected at ridgetop. Freezing levels expected to rise to 1900 m near noon.  Friday: Dry with some clear spells. Winds becoming light southeasterly. Freezing level around 1700 m. Saturday: 5-10 cm new snow, with moderate southwesterly winds and freezing level around 1800 m.

On Tuesday, several large (size 3) avalanches were reported from south-facing slopes near Golden. On Monday, natural avalanches up to size 3.0 and human-triggered avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported from northerly aspects, mostly in the alpine.

30-70 cm recent storm snow overlies a prominent weak layer buried on or around Feb-27. The deepest snow amounts appear the be in the west central area near Kootenay Lake. The Feb-27 weak layer comprises surface hoar and a crust. It has been widely reported but recent snowpack test results are mixed, with some tests indicating this layer is gaining strength, while others indicating it can still fail with sudden "pop" results. A deeper weak layer from mid-February is now down 50-80cm. The early January surface hoar/facet layer is typically down 70-120cm. Triggering an avalanche on either of these layers has become unlikely but either still has the isolated potential to produce very large avalanches with a heavy trigger.