Avalanche Forecast

On Wednesday, a natural cornice fall (size 2.5) was reported. It was a couple of days old and scrubbed to the ground. It did not propagate the slope below.

With new snow and strong wind forecast, natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely on Friday.

Up to 20 cm of snow is expected to fall by Friday afternoon. The new snow will likley have a poor bond to the plethora of old snow surfaces. These consist of a melt-freeze crust on previously sun-exposed slopes, surface hoar and/or facets on shaded slopes, and wind-affected surfaces in exposed terrain at higher elevations.

A layer of facets and/or surface hoar buried in early December may be found down 50-100 cm, or as shallow as 30 cm around Invermere. Recently this layer has not been a significant problem but should be kept on your radar with additional load from new snow and wind.

The base of the snowpack consists of a thick crust and facets or depth hoar in many areas.

Thursday Night

Cloudy with snow 5 to 10 cm. 15 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with snow 5 to 8 cm. 15 gusting to 45 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. 15 gusting to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.