Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Spring flurries and wind may combine to build fresh wind slabs in lee features. Also, loose wet slides are possible whenever the sun pokes out.
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud with a chance of flurries. The freezing level is around 1500-1700 m and ridge winds are moderate from the West. Monday: Cloudy with light snow or showers (~5 cm). The freezing level bumps up to 2000 m. Winds are moderate gusting strong from the S-SW. Tuesday: Showers or flurries ending early then cloudy with sunny breaks. The freezing level lowers to 1600 m and wind shift to northwesterly.
Avalanche Summary
Loose wet avalanches to size 1.5 have been reported in this region recently. 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.