New snow on Tuesday with strong west winds will make travel in exposed terrain unpleasant.
Weather Forecast
A warm front off the pacific will make it's way inland giving unsettled weather and snowfall of 10 to 20cm on Tuesday with strong, gusting winds from the west. Winds will reduce to moderate and eventually light from the west, snowfall will taper, and temperatures will reduce bringing freezing levels to valley bottom for the remainder of the week.
Snowpack Summary
15 to 25cm of snow since mid March redistributed by moderate southwesterly winds, treeline and above. Crusts are buried on solar aspects in wind-sheltered terrain but have only been active in alpine features. Polar aspects have windslabs overlying small size facets that have been reactive on isolated steep terrain, primarily in the Alpine.
Avalanche Summary
No new natural activity was reported or observed during a patrol in the Icefields area today. Cornice failure is increasingly likely and has caused natural avalanches to size 2 in the last week.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Tuesday
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.