Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Ice climbers be aware of the warmer temperatures aloft. There is potential for the hazard to rise quickly with increased avalanche activity mid-day on steep solar aspects.
Weather Forecast
A strong ridge of high pressure will dominate the region through the weekend bringing lots of sunshine and calm winds. Some models are not handling the inversion well, check our weather stations for current temperatures. Alpine temperatures will remain warm through the weekend with freezing levels up to 2300 m. Temperatures will drop Sunday night.
Snowpack Summary
A well settled snowpack with few weaknesses exists throughout the region. There is moist surface snow on steep solar aspects. Isolated wind slabs up to size 1.5 exist on leeward slopes at treeline and above from recent wind effect. Below 2000m, the Dec 3 layer of surface hoar and facets remains visible (down 35-70 cm), but is currently dormant.
Avalanche Summary
On Friday, loose snow avalanches to size 2 were observed on steep cliffy/gullied terrain with the sun affect. In the past few days, there have been a few natural and skier triggered windslabs up to size 1.5 at and above tree line, several natural cornice failures to size 2, and a rockslide triggered size 3 over Home Brew Ice Climb on Mt. Stephen.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
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.
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.