Weather Forecast
Overnight on Saturday and into Sunday morning another 15cm of snow is forecast for the Icefields area. Winds from the south south east are forecast to be moderate.
Snowpack Summary
Snow depths are highly variable between elevation ranges and East to West across the region. Greater depths can be found in the Columbia Icefields area. Moderate to strong ridge top winds have created soft slabs on top of a faceted and shallow existing snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
Some small slabs and loose snow slides were observed at treeline elevations in the Icefields area's today.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Tuesday
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.