Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Cloud cover starting tomorrow will subdue the wet snow avalanches, however, early starts are still recommended.
Weather Forecast
A slight shift to the current weather pattern will take the form of cloud cover and light precipitation at high elevations amounting to about 5cm. This shift will occur on Tuesday late in the day. Slightly more precipitation can be expected in the Eastern portion of the forecast region.
Snowpack Summary
Supportive crust on solar aspects in morning which are deteriorating by early afternoon. High elevation east and north still have dry snow. Mid pack is well settled with no significant shears. The basal facets remain the main weakness in the snowpack, but we expect only large loads or a dramatic rise in temperatures to cause failures on this layer.
Avalanche Summary
Non observed or reported, however loose and wet avalanches suspected up to size 1.5.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.