Avalanche Forecast

Sunday night: Flurries, 5-10 cm, strong south wind, freezing level 1000 m.

Monday: Flurries, up to 5 cm, strong south wind, alpine high -5, freezing level 1300 m.

Tuesday: Flurries, up to 5 cm, strong southeast wind, alpine high -5, freezing level 1300 m.

Wednesday: Snow, 5-15 cm, strong southwest wind easing, alpine high -9, freezing level 1000 m.

We have had a few recent reports of natural cornice falls and wind slab avalanches size 1-2 out of steep alpine terrain on north to east aspects

Field observations in this region are limited. If you get out, please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network. 

Small amounts of new snow fall on surface hoar in many areas and a thin crust on solar aspects. Severely wind affected surfaces can be found at upper elevations, and in northern parts of the region, wind effect extends all the way down to treeline. Cornices have been growing large at ridgetop.

A couple of persistent weak layers exist in the upper to mid snowpack, down 20-60 cm and 70-100 cm. The distribution of these layers are variable, the upper layer spotty at treeline and below and the lower layer can present as surface hoar and/or a crust. It has been reported as most prevalent in areas near Valemount. Avalanche activity on these layers have dwindled since the storm and snowpack tests results have been moderate to hard planar, but still showing some propagation.

There is a prominent crust near the base of the snowpack. This crust likely has weak facets above and/or below it. There have been no recent avalanches reported on this layer, but would be most likely to trigger in steep, shallow, rocky terrain, where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick over a short distance.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.