Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain

A front will move over the interior of the province bringing precipitation overnight through Sunday with expected accumulations of between 10 and 20cm of snow. Temperatures are forecast to rise briefly at the end of the some storm and lower elevations may see rain. Moderate southwesterly winds will prevail through the storm. The rest of the forecast period will see a clearing pattern as a strong ridge builds that looks to last through the rest of the week.

The forecast snow and wind are expected to drive a natural avalanche cycle on Sunday. Conditions are likely to be especially touchy in wind-loaded features at tree line where fresh slabs will be sitting on a layer of surface hoar.

The forecast precipitation will add load to the layer surface hoar surface hoar and or crust which exists in many places up to 1900m.  At higher elevation it wil fall on old, stiff wind slabs. 75 cm below the surface you may find a hard, thick crust that was buried in mid-December. In many places this crust is overlaid by facets and/or surface hoar. In areas where the overlying slab is thick and cohesive, large avalanches are possible at this interface. Closer to the ground a crust/facet interface that formed in November seems to be dormant for the time being.