Avalanche Forecast

Good

The latest weather models are predicting less precipitation for the region than previously forecast.Friday: Light precipitation will taper off early in the day. Ridge top winds will be light to moderate from the west. Freezing levels will hover around 1300m.Saturday: The arrival of a weak warm front will bring between another 5 and 15cm of snow to the alpine with moderate southwesterly winds. Freezing levels will rise through the day up to 1800m.Sunday: Expect partly cloudy skies and a cooling trend in the wake of the frontal system.

Small soft storm slab avalanche have been reported to be releasing on convex features.

Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region with an average of 100cm at treeline. Terrain below treeline is still mostly below threshold for avalanche activity.An average of 5cm of new snow has fallen at higher elevations. More is expected overnight but it will be significantly less than was forecast. Moderate southerly winds will redistribute this snow forming windslabs in lee features on North to Northeast slopes. The new storm snow is sitting on a variety of old surfaces: Last week's cold weather left a thin layer of facets above a crust on wind scoured north and northeast slopes. In sheltered locations surface hoar could be found both at treeline and in the alpine. These layers could become reactive over the weekend as the overlying slab develops due to wind loading or increasing temperatures.Lower in the snowpack a few crusts can be found near the ground, especially at higher higher elevations.