Confidence
Fair - Due to the quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
An arctic air mass is still sitting over much of BC however a series of fronts will start to drive the cold air out of the region through the week. Tuesday will be cloudy, cool and calm. Wednesday will see light snows across the region accompanied by light SW winds. The precipitation will continue into Thursday when freezing level will rise to 900m meaning rain will fall at lower elevations. The snow and wind look to taper off by Friday.
Avalanche Summary
Reports of a skier triggered avalanche from over the weekend indicate that lingering windslabs may still be reactive.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region with up to 130cm in the alpine. Terrain below treeline is still mostly below threshold for avalanche activity.Arctic outflow winds have redistributed the snows that fell last week forming wind slabs on S to SW slopes at treeline and in the alpine. Surface hoar has been growing over the last week in protected locations near tree line while the cold temperatures have driven faceting throughout the snowpack.A few crusts can be found near the ground, especially at higher higher elevations. There haven't been any reports of avalanches on these layers, but they're worth looking for it if you dig a pit.
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.