Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Banff, Banff Yoho Kootenay, East Side 93N, Field, Kootenay, LLSA, Lake Louise, Sunshine, West Side 93N.
Cool weather is expected over the next few days.
Watch for increasing surface concerns into Monday as new snow starts accumulating Sunday.
Overall, avalanche hazard has decreased over the last week, but remember that there are still weak layers of facets and depth hoar in the lower snowpack.
Confidence
No Rating
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed or reported over the last 48 hours.
Snowpack Summary
Trace amounts of snow accumulated above ~2000m Saturday. Below this, surface crusts exist on solar aspects to ridgetop and on all aspects at treeline and below. On northerly aspects, 10-30 cm dry snow with isolated wind effect in lee areas of the alpine. The March 27 crust is 30-70 cm deep and extends to about 2500m. Below the settled midpack, there are still facets and depth hoar to the ground.
Weather Summary
Cooler weather with clouds will influence the region for the next two days following the passage of Saturday's system.
West winds will return to light speeds overnight with only small potential for precip to follow Sunday. -7C treeline temperatures in the morning with freezing levels climbing to around 2000m.
More Precip can be expected overnight Sunday and into Monday.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
An 80 cm thick midpack slab sits over a weak, facetted base. On most slopes, recent sun crusts and the buried March 27 rain crust cap this slab, adding some strength. Be cautious in thin alpine areas and where these crusts are weak or are breaking down with heating.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 2 - 3