More snow is on the way! Watch for new storm slab development as snow accumulates. This new snow will add more load to the persistent problem, which may initiate more natural avalanche activity on this interface.
A 35-50+ cm slab sits over the Jan. 24th surface hoar layer on shady aspects, and crust/ facets on southerly slopes up into the alpine. The surface hoar is very touchy, especially in Yoho and Kootenay between 1600-2200m. We expect this to persist for the next while.
Upto 35cm of storm snow is forecasted for Little Yoho over the next few days. At upper elevations, this new snow could be loading from moderate westerly winds.
No field teams were down in Yoho or Kootenay on Tuesday, so there are no new observations to report.
Monday's MIN reports showed more of the aftermath of last week's storm.
As another system moves into the region, we expect to see more avalanche activity on the persistent avalanche problem.
New storm snow overlies a heavily wind-affected surface at upper elevations. Below this, the Jan. 24 layer (surface hoar/crust/facet) sits 30–50+ cm down at treeline. This layer has been very reactive in Kootenay and Yoho. In the alpine, we suspect this problem is predominantly on southerly aspects as a facet/crust interface. We expect touchy conditions for the foreseeable future.
A westerly system will move into the region Tuesday night through Wednesday. As this moist air mass approaches, winds will begin to taper, with ridge-top speeds near 30 km/h from the west.
Precipitation amounts will vary from north to south, with northern regions expecting 20–35 cm by Friday afternoon and significantly lower totals in the south. Freezing levels will rise to around 2,000 meters on Wednesday.
