Confidence
Fair - Wind effect is extremely variable
Weather Forecast
Cold and mostly clear skies are expected for the forecast period as a dry arctic air mass becomes firmly embedded over British Columbia. Ridgetop temperatures are expected to hover around -14 on Wednesday and Thursday, and then drop to about -20 on Friday. Expect periods of moderate north/northeasterly winds.
Avalanche Summary
There is no new avalanche activity to report. This most likely reflects the low number of observations rather than actual conditions.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region. There is about 70cm of snow at 1600m in the Duffy Lake area. Due to this weekend's storm there is likely more than double that at the same elevation in the Coquihalla area. Terrain below treeline is reported to be mostly below threshold for avalanche activity.Moderate to locally heavy (in the south) accumulations now overlie a generally well settled snowpack. Due to more recent northerly winds, much of this new snow may have been shifted into new windslabs on south-facing slopes.Closer to the base of the snowpack you may find a few crusts which may have associated facets at higher elevations. Observers are not identifying any of these as cause for concern at this time, although they might be worth exploring.
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.