Avalanche danger ratings are based on light to locally moderate accumulations on Saturday night. If snowfall amounts are higher, the danger rating will increase.
Confidence
Poor - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Moderate snowfall on Saturday night should ease to light snowfall by Sunday / Moderate southeast winds / Freezing level at surfaceMonday: Mostly clear skies / Light southeast winds / Freezing level at surfaceTuesday: Light to moderate snowfall / Light southeast winds / Freezing level at surfaceConfidence: Generally good for the overall pattern / Poor for specific snowfall amounts on Saturday night/ Sunday morning
Avalanche Summary
Explosives controlled avalanches to size 2 were observed in the region in the last 2 days. I'm unaware of any significant recent natural activity. All avalanche activity observed was within the recent storm snow.
Snowpack Summary
The region has seen a daily supply of moderate to locally heavy snow accumulations over the past week. In the alpine and in exposed areas at treeline, the new snow most likely exists as a windslab. The recent snow has been settling well; however, weaknesses may still exist within the storm interfaces.A layer of surface hoar buried on Dec 10 exists at treeline in the Duffey Lake area and may be more widespread. A bit deeper in the mid snowpack you might find a surface hoar layer from late November; however, tests seem to be showing limited reactivity on this layer. A generally consolidated mid-pack overlies the deeply buried November crust/facet layer which does not seem to be reactive as of late. This layer has not been observed in the Coquihalla area.
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.