Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Monday
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Saturday: A ridge of High pressure is forecast to remain in the region overnight. The next system should move into the region on Saturday afternoon bringing light snow to all elevations and moderate Southwest winds.Sunday: Continued light snow at all elevations with moderate Southwest winds at higher elevations.Monday: A strong frontal system is forecast to move in from the coast. Expect strong Southerly winds and freezing levels rising up to about 1000 metres.
Avalanche Summary
No new reports of avalanches from the region.
Snowpack Summary
Wind slabs exist on slopes lee to the west. Below these surface layers, the snowpack is reported to be generally well-settled. Snowpack depth is below threshold for avalanches below about 1400 m (or as high as 1800 m on some slopes). Cornices have grown large in some areas.We are still watching a few layers, but recent snowpack tests have suggested that these are generally fairly well bonded. There is a buried rain crust in the upper snowpack which fizzles out at about 1800 m. A localized layer of surface hoar buried about 1 m down may still exist in sheltered pockets. At the base of the snowpack, a variable early November crust/facet layer exists. Any of these layers could become reactive with heavy loading, or if triggered from a thin snowpack area.
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.