Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
A relatively small storm will bring one more blast of winter conditions to this region. Watch out for fresh wind slabs.
Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Saturday
Weather Forecast
Saturday: 5-10 cm new snow above 1500 m, with rain below that. Ridgetop winds up to 50 km/h from the southwest. Sunday: Cloudy with some sunshine. Flurries possible. Freezing level around 1500 m. Ridgetop winds around 30 km/h from the west. Monday: Light snow 2-4 cm. Freezing level rising to around 1800 m in the afternoon. Ridgetop winds around 40 km/h from the southwest.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported. 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.
Snowpack Summary
Melt-freeze surface conditions exist on sun-exposed slopes. On shaded slopes, 10-20cm of recent snow overlies a thick supportive melt-freeze crust. At higher elevations these accumulations may have been blown around by variable winds and thin wind slabs may exist on a variety of aspects. The mid-March crust/facet complex is buried around 50cm below the surface. This layer is generally considered dormant, although it could be reactivated in isolated terrain by prolonged warm temperatures. The mid and lower snowpack are strong and well settled.
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.