Don't let powder fever tempt you into large or consequential terrain features.
Winter is back! But storm snow needs time to bond and stabilize
Reports show the surface hoar buried 60-100 cm deep is becoming harder to trigger. New snow can increase the sensitivity this layer, or produce step down avalanches. Triggering this layer is most likely at higher elevations
Storm snow is expected to remain reactive to human triggers as it overlies numerous weak surfaces. Avoid wind loaded features as triggering is most likely here where a cohesive slab exists.
On Friday, natural and human-triggered avalanches were observed to size 2 within the storm snow, primarily on north and east facing slopes (lee to the southwest winds). Check out this MIN for an example.
The last reported avalanche on the buried surface hoar from early December was last Saturday. Reports suggest these layers are becoming harder to trigger.
By Sunday, storm totals will reach 30-60 cm throughout this region. Southerly winds are expected to have redistributed this into deeper and more reactive deposits in east facing terrain features. This snow accumulates over crusts, surface hoar, and facets.
A crust formed by the early December rain event is found roughly 70 cm deep, and a layer of surface hoar is found 60 to 100 cm deep.
Where the crust is thick and strong it makes triggering the surface hoar layer less likely. Triggering remains a concern at higher elevations where the crust is less prominent.
The lower snowpack is variable throughout the region, facets found at the ground in shallow snowpack areas.
Saturday Night
Cloudy with snow continuing, 5 cm expected north of Revelstoke and up to 15 cm in the Central Selkirks and Goat Range. Westerly winds ease, 20-30 km/h. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with possible sunny breaks. Flurries possible in the south. Winds from the northwest 10-20 km/h. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom, treeline temperatures drop over the day, from -8 °C to -12 °C.
Monday
Cloudy with a trace of new snow, westerly winds 20-30 km/h. Freezing levels at valley bottom, treeline temperatures -10 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with light to moderate snowfall beginning Monday night. Southwesterly winds 60-80 km/h. Freezing levels at valley bottom, treeline temperatures reach -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
