Avalanche Forecast

Good

Unsettled conditions in the wake of Tuesday's storm system are expected to produce cloudy conditions and isolated light flurries with a few centimetres each day for the forecast period. The freezing level is expected to drop to and remain around 800 m, and the winds should remain light and variable.

Reports from Monday include numerous soft wind slab avalanches up to size 1.5 occurring naturally as well as with direct and remote human triggers. Sustained heavy loading from snow wind and rain on Tuesday likely resulted in continued natural avalanche activity particularly on lee slopes.

As of Tuesday morning heavy snowfall has already deposited up to 50cm, which is being redistributed by strong southwesterly winds into thick wind slabs. These wind and storm slabs are poorly bonded and continued snowfall and wind is adding additional load. A predominately crusty weak interface from late March, now down 50-150cm, remains a potential failure layer for large slab avalanches, especially with heavy triggers such as cornice falls and step-down avalanches. Cornices are also huge and weak.