Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Crawford, Esplanade, Goat, Gold, Jordan, Kokanee, North Columbia, North Selkirk, Retallack, South Columbia, Valhalla, West Purcell, Whatshan.
Winter is set to arrive in our region this weekend.
Monitor closely how the new snow is bonding to old surfaces and expect avalanche activity to increase.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches reported in our region.
Observations are limited this time of year. Please consider filling out a MIN report if you do head out in the backcountry!
Snowpack Summary
New snow is falling on surface conditions that are a mix of surfaces. In shaded sheltered areas, large surface hoar will be covered. On steep southwest-facing slopes, a sun crust may be getting buried. In exposed areas expect the wind to be transporting this new and old low-density snow. Much of the top 10 to 20 cm surface snow will be old faceted snow left from the last storm
A crust with sugary facets beneath it can be found just above the ground.
Expect early-season conditions with a shallower-than-average snowpack. Coverage is reportedly the poorest in the alpine and below treeline. At treeline, depths are between 60 to 100 cm.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Cloudy, 2 to 5 cm accumulations, winds south to southwest 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy, 10 to 15 cm accumulation by end of the day, alpine wind south switching to west 30 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature around -10 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy, 10 to 15 cm accumulation from early morning to into the evening, alpine wind 50 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature reaching -5 °C.
Monday
Cloudy, 5 to 10 cm accumulation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature reaching -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
- Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
- Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
- Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
New snow will arrive with southerly winds. Expect wind deposited snow to be deeper and reactive to human triggering. New snow will be covering a mixture of weak layers decreasing the chance of bonding.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2