Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Spring time conditions exist. The hazard is directly related to how hard the crusts freeze over night and how quickly they break down during the day.
Weather Forecast
Unsettled weather and light snow forecast for Friday. Freezing levels are around 2000 m and there is little recovery overnight. On Saturday we may see more significant snowfall and a cooling trend. The hazard may increase in the alpine depending on how much new snow falls.
Snowpack Summary
Five to 10 cm storm of snow along the divide sits over a sun crusts on most aspects except true north. Weak freezes and insulating aspect of new snow bring minimal recovery of crusts overnight.
Avalanche Summary
Due to overcast skies the natural isothermal cycle we have been seeing earlier in the week has subsided. However if the sun comes out we still expect to see natural activity in the afternoon when the surface crusts start breaking down. A skier triggered Class 2 slab to ground was reported near Lake Louise on Wednesday.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Saturday
Problems
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.
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.