Avalanche Forecast

SUNDAY Night: Cloudy with scattered flurries, accumulation 1-5 cm. Light to moderate southwest wind. Alpine high temperatures around -8 C. Freezing level at valley bottom.

MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Light west and southwest wind. Alpine high temperature -4. Freezing level 1400 m.

TUESDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. Light west and southwest wind. Alpine high temperature -5. Freezing level 1400 m.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with sunny breaks and isolated flurries. Light to moderate northwest wind. Alpine high temperature -6. Freezing level 1300 m.

Reports from Saturday show a few natural wind avalanches to size 2 on northerly aspects above 2100 m. Most reports highlighted primarily loose dry and loose wet avalanches from steep terrain facing the sun to size 1 and 1.5.

Warm sunny weather between Wednesday and Friday resulted in a widespread cycle of wet loose avalanches on sun-exposed slopes. These were mostly small (size 1-1.5), but a few large (size 2.5) wet avalanches were also reported. Heating also caused some cornice and ice falls. Clouds and cooling temperatures will heal these problems. 

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About 15 cm of new snow over Friday night accumulated above moist and crusty interfaces that formed during the recent warm up. Some deeper accumulations can be expected in lee terrain features. High shaded terrain will have a mix of soft snow and some old buried wind slabs. 

The lower snowpack has strengthened over the past week as previous persistent weak layers have become unreactive. The main layers that we had been tracking were a layer of facets that was buried in mid-February (60-100 cm deep) and a layer of surface hoar and/or crusts that was buried in late January (80-120 cm deep).

• Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.