Regions
South Coast Inland.
A steady stream of light precipitation should fall as snow at upper elevations and begin to accumulate in the coming days.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY: Flurries, accumulations 5-15cm / moderate southwest wind / Alpine temperature -3 MONDAY: Flurries, accumulation 5cm / Light to moderate southwest wind / Alpine temperature -4 TUESDAY: Cloudy with flurries / Light west wind / Alpine temperature -3
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity to report from Friday or Saturday at the time of writing this bulletin.
Snowpack Summary
Warm temperatures likely produced a few millimeters of rain as high as 2000 m on Friday, this likely occurred throughout the region. Previous to Friday's rain event, warm alpine temperatures had allowed the upper 5 cm of the snowpack to become moist, even on upper elevation northeast facing features. As temperatures cooled Friday night into Saturday a crust has formed on the surface.On December 28th and 29th two successive storms produced 50 to 80 cm of snow. On December 29th and 30th strong to extreme winds out of the southwest, south and southeast created widespread wind effect. Time and warm temperatures allowed this snow to settle and bond well with the underlying surface. A widespread melt-freeze crust formed in mid-December may still be an issue in the northern portion of the region where it's down 50 to 100 cm below the surface, but is likely trending towards dormancy. Around the Coquihalla this interface is now thought to be part of a well bonded mid-pack. The lower snowpack is generally strong and well settled.
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.