High freezing levels have heightened avalanche hazard terrain at all elevations. Avoid traveling in avalanche terrain until things cool down. Things should improve with the cooling trend and new snow forecast for Sunday.
Weather Forecast
Continued Chinook conditions with warm temperatures with light precipitation are forecast for Saturday. Sunday morning winds ease off and switch to the North, temperatures should drop considerably to more seasonal values and we may see moderate accumulations of snow before a clearing trend on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Moist surface snow below 1900m on all aspects and up to 2100m on solar aspects. Wind slabs present near ridge crests and open areas above tree line. In deep snow areas there are no other persistent weak layers. In thin snow areas facets are present in the snow pack which could be activated by the warm wet weather we are experiencing.
Avalanche Summary
Loose wet slides up to size 1.5 out of steep terrain below tree line were observed today. As things continue to warm up over the next 36hours we may see more avalanches as the combination of wind, warm temperatures and new snow and/or rain, over load cornices, wind slabs and surface snow. As temperatures drop the hazard will also lower.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
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.