Confidence
Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Synopsis: Northwesterly flow will bring a series of low-intensity pulses of precipitation interspersed with short-lived periods of clear weather to the region through the forecast period. Temperatures will start out fairly cool but rise through Tuesday and into Wednesday to become mild.Monday: Flurries. Treeline temperatures around -7C. Light westerly winds.Monday night: Light snowfall, around 5cm.Tuesday: Mainly dry during the day. Temperatures rising to a high of -2C at treeline elevations. Northwesterly winds, gusting to 30km/h at ridgetop.Wednesday: Light snowfall, up to 5cm. Treeline temperatures around 0C. Northwesterly winds gusting to 50km/h at ridgetop.
Avalanche Summary
On Thursday and Friday, a relatively small natural avalanche cycle took place in the storm snow up to size 2 which ran on the January 23rd interface, mostly on N and E facing slopes. Over the weekend, only a couple of small slab avalanches on northerly aspects were reported.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 30 to 50 cm of recent storm snow overlies a weak layer comprising of surface hoar in shady locations, facets at higher elevations and a sun crust on solar aspects. The recent new snow sitting above this interface has been slowly consolidating from fresh powder into a more cohesive slab. A mid-pack surface hoar layer buried in early January is down around 90 cm, and is best preserved below approximately 1700 m. A freezing rain crust has been reported near the surface (it may now be buried by light snow) in the Monashees, particularly in areas close to Mabel Lake.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.