Warm temperatures may get locked in as clouds roll in later on. Watch for conditions that change with aspect, elevation and time of day.For details on how we issue Spring Danger Ratings, check out the Spring Changes Forecaster Blog
here.
Summary
Confidence
Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Friday
Weather Forecast
Friday: Cloud cover building through the day, flurries possible. Freezing level around 2300 m, southwesterly ridgetop winds increasing from light in the morning to around 40 km/h in the afternoon. Saturday: Light snow above 1500 m, amounts in the 1-4 cm range, with rain/drizzle below. Ridgetop winds up to 60 km/h from the southwest. Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud. Freezing level around 1500 m. Ridgetop winds around 40 km/h from the west.
Avalanche Summary
Observations are becoming more limited as we enter into spring. If you're out in the mountains, please consider posting your observations to our webpage using the Mountain Information Network.Loose wet avalanches to size 1.5 were reported from neighboring forecast regions (Lizard-Flathead and Waterton National Park) on Tuesday and Wednesday. This kind of activity is likely to be seen in this region through Friday, although the intensity may diminish just a little on account of less solar radiation and slightly cooler temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
10-20cm of recent snow overlies a widespread and supportive melt-freeze crust. In some areas, winds may have redistributed the surface snow resulting in wind slab formation in the alpine and exposed areas at treeline. Large cornices exist in the alpine and may become weak with daytime warming. The mid-March rain crust is down 35 to 70cm and has shown a good bond with snow above. Old persistent weak layers are still intact in the mid and lower snowpack and there may be potential for these layers to wake up with a big cornice fall, sustained warming and/or a significant rain event.
