A spring avalanche cycle continues on Thursday as warm conditions destabilizes the snowpack. Stay out of avalanche terrain until conditions improve. The Maligne Road is closed until Friday Morning.
Weather Forecast
Warm temperatures continue overnight with the freezing level around 2200 m. Another warm day on Thursday, clouding over by late afternoon with a good chance of rain showers Thursday evening. A cooling trend begins on Friday along with periods of snow with alpine accumulations of up to 10 cm. Snowy cool conditions continue through the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
Freezing level to 3500 m with little overnight recovery of the melt freeze crust. A widespread natural avalanche cycle will continue through Thursday. Full depth avalanches are occurring on steep southerly aspects.
Avalanche Summary
A significant avalanche cycle is occurring at all elevations. Most observations have been on southerly aspects but expect to see all aspects begin to perform on Thursday as freezing levels are to remain high and similar warm and sunny conditions are expected.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Thursday
Problems
Wet Slabs
Wet Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slabs can be very unpredictable and destructive.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.