Rising temperatures and the chance for a bit of sunshine on Sunday may be enough to trigger loose wet avalanches on steep slopes facing the sun.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. Moderate southwesterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +5. Freezing level rising to around 2000 m.MONDAY: Snow, accumulation 10-20 cm. Moderate to strong southeasterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +2. Freezing level around 1500 m.MONDAY NIGHT: Snow, accumulation 10-15 cm. Moderate southwesterly ridgetop winds. Freezing level around 1000 m.TUESDAY: Snow, accumulation 5-10 cm. Moderate westerly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +1. Freezing level around 1500 m.
Avalanche Summary
Several naturally triggered wind slabs up to size 2 were reported near Fernie on Friday.
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of recent storm snow and moderate winds have formed wind slabs sitting on hard crusts on lee features at treeline and above which may be reactive to human triggers. The upper snowpack contains numerous crusts.The mid-pack is generally well settled and strong.A layer of sugary facets around a crust can be found near the bottom of the snowpack which has been inactive for some time. This layer may be triggered by large triggers, such as a falling cornice, or by a major warm-up to the snowpack.
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.