Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Grohman, Kokanee, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Retallack, Rossland, South Okanagan, Valhalla, Ymir.
Avalanche danger will increase throughout the day as the storm continues.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported by the time of publishing Friday afternoon.
On Thursday in the Valhallas, one rider-triggered avalanche (size 1.5) failed on facets near the ground. This was on a steep, shallow, rocky feature.
Snowpack Summary
Expect up to 30 cm of new snow by the end of the day to be sitting on a variety of old layers including crusts, wind-affected snow, and powder.
The upper snowpack contains several crusts buried 30 to 50 cm deep. Facets have been seen above the crusts near Kokanee and Valhalla. Below that are a couple of layers of surface hoar that have been made difficult to trigger by the thick crusts above.
Snowpack depth at treeline is 70 to 130 cm. Snow depth tapers dramatically at lower elevations.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine wind 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow, south alpine wind 30 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow, north alpine wind 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.
Monday
Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow, southwest alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Shooting cracks, whumphs and recent avalanches are strong indicators of an unstable snowpack.
- Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
- Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Expect this problem to be most reactive and dangerous in lee areas
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5