Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Weather Forecast
Unsettled weather will bring light snow to region through Friday. Freezing levels around 2100 m with little recovery over night. Saturday brings heavier snow fall and cooler temperatures. With the new snowfall thin wind slabs can be expected near ridge tops.
Snowpack Summary
Five to 10 cm storm of snow along the divide sits over a sun crusts on most aspects except true north. Weak freezes and the insulating aspect of the new snow bring minimal recovery of crusts overnight. Crusts at tree-line and below are breaking down by mid-day.
Avalanche Summary
The natural isothermal cycle we have been seeing the past few days has subsided. However, if the sun comes out we still expect to see natural activity and the potential for skier triggered avalanches in the afternoon when the surface crusts start breaking down. A skier triggered Class 2 slab to ground was reported near Lake Louise today.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wet Slabs
Wet Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slabs can be very unpredictable and destructive.