Summary
Confidence
Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Saturday: A system to the South may graze the Sea to Sky, giving a chance of flurries and freezing levels rising to 1400m. Upper level southerly winds continue. Sunday / Monday: Expect continued unsettled conditions with precipitation building to heavy Monday afternoon. Freezing levels may reach 1200m each afternoon. Winds slowly turn southerly to southeasterly and increase as the precip intensifies.
Avalanche Summary
Many windslab events have been reported up to size 2.0. These have been triggered naturally, with explosives and with human traffic. Isolated windslab events have triggered remotely. Crown depths are a typically around 60cm and over 100cm in some locations. Isolated, small loose moist events are running below treeline.
Snowpack Summary
The latest pulse of precipitation brings the storm snow totals to between 75-100cm overlying the March 26 interface. This has been accompanied by consistently moderate and at times gusty southerly winds, forming deep windslabs in lee locations. Cornices are huge, and will continue to grow with this weather pattern. Settlement rate is dramatic with the persistent warm temps. The 0326 interface is a crust on all aspects except true north treeline and alpine, where small surface hoar is present in sheltered places. In snowpack tests, the bond of the new snow and the March 26 interface is poor, with easy planar results. Below the newest storm interface, last week's storm snow is well settled and bonded, with further strength gains deeper in the pack. In isolated locations the weaknesses from early February linger and the chance for a large, deep release is possible in times of rapid loading from new snowfall, rain or cornice fall.
mpeter,
Avalanche Canada
