Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Monday
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Monday: Flurries tonight becoming snow, expect 3-5 cms by morning combined with light west winds. Strong Northwest winds developing during the day as periods of snow bring another 3-5 cms.Tuesday: Flurries and continued moderate Northwest winds. Freezing levels rising to about 1200 metresWednesday: Continued flurries and cooling temperatures.
Avalanche Summary
Some loose dry snow sluffing to about size 1.0. Aggressive slope testing by snowmobiles on steep fans did not show any signs of triggering in the Crowsnest North area.
Snowpack Summary
There is a lot of variability in the recent storm snow amounts and the amount of wind effect across the region. Crowsnest North area has seen strong winds that have stripped South and West aspects. Sled tracks are only penetrating about 15 cms. The Harvey Pass area has seen a lot of wind. Thin stiff wind slabs have formed, and fetch areas have been stripped. The Crossing Creek area has seen less wind and about 20-30 cms of new snow. The storm snow has not been reported to be reacting as a cohesive slab.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.