Avalanche Forecast

High

Sunday: Cloudy with sunny breaks and a chance of flurries. The freezing level is around 800-1000 m and winds are light from the S-SW. Monday: Cloudy with sunny breaks. The freezing level remains near 1000-1200 m and winds are light from the S-SW. Tuesday: Cloudy with moderate snow/rain. The freezing level rises to 1800-2000 m and winds increase to moderate from the S-SW.

Widespread natural slab and loose wet activity up to size 3 was reported on Friday. Activity was observed on all aspects and at all elevations; however, alpine observations were limited due to poor visibility. Cooling temperatures and drier conditions this weekend will help stabilize the snowpack and reduce the likelihood of triggering slab avalanches.

The "Pineapple Express Light" dumped 80-160 mm of precipitation on the South Coast this week. Most of this fell as snow above 1800-2000 m (over 1 m) with mixed rain and snow or just heavy rain below 1800 m. Heavy snow and strong winds have formed deep and dense wind slabs in exposed lee terrain and caused substantial cornice growth. Expect to find a rain crust at or near the surface (below 10-20 cm of fresh snow) at lower elevations. The early and mid-January surface hoar layers may have been wiped out by the storm and subsequent avalanche cycle. These layers would be down between 100 and 150 cm deep now. Tread cautiously until we know more about the state of these persistent weaknesses. The mid and lower snowpack is generally strong, with the exception of shallower snowpack areas that may be more faceted.