Invading Arctic air will bring cold and clear weather heading into the weekend. Some areas could see strong outflow winds develop.
Weather Forecast
Friday: Mainly sunny but cold. The freezing level is at valley bottom with temperatures around -18 at treeline. Winds are moderate or strong from the E-NE. Saturday: Mainly sunny. Temperature increase with average treeline temps near -10. Winds are moderate from the north. Sunday: Increasing cloud with flurries developing. Treeline temperatures are around -7. Winds switch to light or moderate from the SW.
Avalanche Summary
There are no new observations from the region. Please let us know what you're seeing out there. Email us at [email protected].
Snowpack Summary
As we begin our forecasting season, we are working with limited information from the field. This forecast is primarily based off weather station data and a few field observations from the past week or two. Approximately 10 cm of light snow fell on Wednesday night. Winds are strong in the valley bottom - if this holds true at higher elevations then expect fresh wind slabs in exposed lee terrain. A weak layer interface (crust and faceted snow) is buried around 30 cm deep near Hudson's Bay Mountain. This layer could be found in other areas as well and might be deeper depending on aspect and elevation. Check the bond of the snowpack at this level and take a cautious approach.
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.