It's early in the season but there is more than enough snow for avalanches. If you are out in the mountains, please post your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Summary
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
High pressure will remain the dominant feature on Sunday. Sunny and dry conditions are expected in the morning with increasing cloudiness in the afternoon. A temperature inversion is expected with warm air sitting around 2500m and alpine winds should be light to moderate from the NW. On Monday, a weak storm system reaches the region. 4-8mm of precipitation are forecast for parts of the region on Monday. Freezing levels are forecast to reach 1200-1500m on Monday afternoon and moderate SW winds are expected in the alpine. A lull in the storm is forecast for Monday evening or overnight before a second pulse arrives. Another 8-12mm are forecast for the wet parts of the region. Dry arctic air is expected to arrive late Tuesday and push out any remnants of the storm.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported. A natural avalanche cycle up to size 2.5 occurred during last weekend's storm.
Snowpack Summary
Check out the recent conditions video from Whitewater at: https://youtu.be/lmM4gDom1wM. There is certainly enough snow for avalanches, with anywhere from 60-150cm of snow sitting on the ground. A thick crust layer sits down as deep as 50cm but the stability and distribution of this layer throughout the region is not yet known. Dig down and test this layer before committing to avalanche terrain. Wind slabs in leeward features may be sensitive to human-triggering. If you're out in the mountains, please send us your reports.
rbuhler,
Avalanche Canada
