Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Confidence
Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Moderate to strong NW winds. Alpine temperature near -6. Light snow.Thursday: Moderate NW winds. Alpine temperature near -5. Light snow.Friday: Light W winds. Alpine temperature near -6. No snow.
Avalanche Summary
Small loose dry avalanches have been failing in steep terrain. In most areas, a cohesive storm slab is yet to develop. At Kootenay Pass, a storm slab exists. Explosives triggered several size 1-2 slabs on Monday there, failing on a buried crust down 20-30 cm.
Snowpack Summary
Around 15-35 cm snow overlies various old surfaces including surface hoar, facets, hard slabs and crusts. The wind has created soft slabs on lee slopes. As incremental snowfalls build up, a cohesive storm slab may develop. Deeper in the pack (about 50-60cm down), a weak interface exhibits mainly hard to no results in snowpack tests, with isolated moderate, sudden results.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.