Regions
South Coast Inland.
Watch for fresh winds slabs left in lee terrain in the wake of Sunday's storm.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Monday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light to moderate southwest winds. Freezing level to 1200 metres with alpine temperatures around -6 in the north of the region, -5 in the south.Tuesday: Flurries bringing approximately 10 cm of new snow to the north of the region, closer to 15 in the south. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Freezing level to around 1500 metres with alpine temperatures of -4 in the north of the region and -2 in the south.Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace to 5 cm of new snow. Light southwest winds. Freezing level to 1200 metres with alpine temperatures of -5 to -3.
Avalanche Summary
Reports from the north of the region on Sunday showed evidence of a natural avalanche cycle with widespread loose wet avalanching to Size 2 on all aspects and elevations. Natural storm slab and cornice releases to Size 2.5 were also observed in the adjacent Sea to Sky region. Please post your observations to the Mountain Information Network. (MIN)
Snowpack Summary
Another bout of rain over Saturday night soaked the upper snowpack at all elevations before depositing up to Up to 10 cm of new snow at higher elevations on Sunday morning. Significant new snow is unlikely to have accumulated in the south of the region. Below any new snow accumulations, the rain-soaked upper snowpack is likely in the process of refreezing into a strong capping crust, beginning at higher elevations. Below this developing crust interface, heavy rain from last week eroded snowpack depths significantly, leaving behind a rain-soaked and relatively uniform 90 cm at treeline elevations throughout the region.
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.