Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Sunday

There are remnants of a system moving up from south of the border that may bring some moisture into the South Columbia mountains on Saturday night. Unsettled conditions are expected across the Interior regions again on Sunday. Some areas may see periods of heavy convective flurries, while others may see broken skies or scattered cloud. Winds should stay mostly light from the south, and the freezing level is expected to drop to the valley bottom Saturday night and then rise to about 800 metres on Sunday. Monday is forecast to be unsettled again, but with more likelihood of sunny periods. A Pacific frontal system is expected to start moving in from the coast on Tuesday bringing strong westerly winds and heavy precipitation.

Explosive control work on Friday resulted in slab avalanches on various aspects up to size 3.5. There was one report of a natural avalanche size 3.5 that may have run Thursday afternoon or evening.

Another 5-10 cm of new snow overnight combines with the 30-40 cm of snow on Friday morning to form a soft slab that is sitting on the recent storm snow. The combined slab above the mid-february persistent weak layer is now between 150-200 cm. Some operators continue to get easy-moderate sudden planar character shears on the mid-february surface hoar in shallow areas. The persistent weak layer continues to be a concern at all elevations, and may show wide propagations on low angle terrain below treeline. The new snow may consolidate and release naturally if the skies clear and we get some strong solar radiation. Snowpack conditions continue to be tricky to evaluate, and are variable throughout the region.