Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain on Friday

A ridge of high pressure moving in from the coast is expected to produce light southerly winds combined with broken skies and freezing levels rising to about 1300 metres by Thursday afternoon. Warm temperatures are forecast to persist through the night and into Friday morning. More clearing is expected on Friday. Freezing levels are expected to rise to about 1500 metres, and solar radiation should be strong on sun exposed slopes. Alpine temperatures are forecast to be around -3.0 in the alpine. Saturday is expected to be mostly clear with temperatures a few degrees cooler than Friday.

Report of a natural avalanche size 1.5 dry slab with a 20-30 cm crown at 1900 metres on Grey Mtn near Rossland. Skier accidental size 2.0 dry slab avalanche reported from the back country near Whitewater ski resort on a North aspect near treeline.

The recent storm snow layer is about 30-50 cm thick and is quite variable across the region. There are a couple of thin crusts buried below the storm snow that have been producing moderate to hard shears in tests. Some areas are still getting sudden planar shears on the mid-december surface hoar layer. The forecast warming trend may weaken the bond on the mid-december layer; particular concern in low snowpack areas.