Avalanche Forecast

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

Synopsis: On Saturday, the low off the North Coast will have weakened sufficiently, however unsettled conditions will exist and light snow will continue to fall up to 5 cm. Freezing levels will remain at valley bottom and ridgetop winds will be light from the west. The next low pressure system will affect the Interior late Sunday afternoon and persist through Tuesday night. Snow amounts will be moderate – heavy with 30-50 cm by Tuesday. Ridgetop winds will be strong from the west and treeline temperatures will hover near -8. Freezing levels will be at valley bottom through Monday then be on the rise Tuesday.

Persistent slab avalanches up to size 2 continue to occur in the Kootenay region. Two skier triggered avalanches were reported on Thursday, one size 2 was triggered remotely from 15 m away and the other a size 1. Both these avalanches were from west aspects at 2000 m and above. The mid-December layer remains the most concerning and with new snow in the forecast avalanche danger will be on the rise at ALL elevations.

Snow surfaces are quite variable with new snow up to 5cm and winds blowing from all directions. Wind exposed aspects are showing firm wind press or scoured exposed crust, and sheltered locations have up to 35 cm of light, low density, faceted snow above a recently formed surface hoar. Stiff and reactive wind slabs exist primarily on southerly aspects. Up to 80 cm below the surface, a touchy weak layer of surface hoar sitting on a thick rain crust. This widespread persistent weak layer comprising of surface hoar/ facets and a hard rain crust was buried mid-December and continues to produce whumpfing and sudden planar characteristics in snowpack tests. Although high elevation slopes may not have the rain crust, they are still reported to have touchy buried surface hoar. At the base of the snowpack, a crust/facet combo appears to have gone dormant for the time being.