Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

The cold arctic air will slowly be replace by relatively warmer air in the next few days as a Pacific frontal system moves onto the coast and inland.Wednesday:  Light flurries,  ridge top temperatures -5 to -10, winds light to moderate from the south southwest, freezing level at valley bottom.Thursday:  Light to locally moderate precipitation, freezing levels at valley bottom, ridge top temperatures -5 to -10

Small natural wind slab avalanches have been observed at treeline and in the alpine around Nelson.

The recent cold temperatures have driven faceting in the upper snowpack and surface hoar growth is being reported in some areas. The snow that fell last week is sitting above a weak layer of surface hoar found on north facing slopes and a crust on steep solar aspects. In many places the upper snowpack has not yet settled into a slab. In the alpine and at some tree line locations the snow has been redistributed by the recent north to east winds forming wind slabs at ridge-top and cross loading some features. There are reports of a deeply buried early season crust that formed in October, this layer is more likely to be found in the high alpine on northerly aspects.