South Okanagan

Light snowfall and strong winds will continue to build wind slabs at upper elevations.

Moderate

• We are uncertain due to the variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

There were no new avalanches to report on Wednesday. Looking ahead, expect to see reactive wind slabs continue to develop as new snow accumulates and the wind keeps blowing.

If you are heading into the backcountry, please share any observations with the Mountain Information Network.

10 to 20 cm of recent snow overlies wind-affected surfaces or old settling storm snow. Recent strong wind has scoured south-exposed slopes and alpine features.

There are a couple of layers of surface hoar/facets or a crust that may be buried 20 to 45 cm deep. These layers have been mostly dormant, but they may become active in isolated areas where a sufficient slab forms overtop.

The remainder of the snowpack is well consolidated.

Thursday Night

Cloudy. 5-10 cm of snow. 30-60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Friday

Cloudy. 3-8 cm of snow. 25-50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Saturday

Mix of sun and clouds. 15-30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Sunday

Sunny. 10-20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Strong wind is building wind slabs farther downslope than usual.