Conditions continue to be tricky because of warm temperatures, rain/snowfall. There continues to be concern for the persistent week layer and it's potential to propagate. Crusts exist on all aspects up to ridgetop making for challenging travel.
Weather Forecast
Saturday will be cooler with isolated flurries but sunny periods because another storm system arrives on Sunday morning. This storm could bring another 40cm of snow with strong SW winds adding to already building windslabs on lees slope. Freezing levels will climb up to around 1700m again meaning rain or wet snow is likely below this elevation.
Snowpack Summary
Suncrusts have formed on solar aspects. These are buried by 10cm of snow that fell today above 1700m, below that was wet snow/rain. Moist snow is still present under the crusts to 1900m from rain on 0310. Feb facet layer down 70-170cm and large avalanches have resulted when this layer is triggered because of the propagation potential of this layer.
Avalanche Summary
Although natural activity has tapered off, helicopter bombing of the path that hit the Akamina parkway on the weekend produced numerous sz 1.5 as well as a 2.5 that almost hit the road again. The active layer is still the Feb facet layer. Small loose dry avalanches occurred today at higher elevations while loose wet avlanaches occurred below 1700m.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Sunday
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 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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.