Warm and wet weather continues. Snowfall amounts are variable across the region.
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Saturday: The freezing level is expected to drop back down to the valley bottom overnight and then rise to about 1200 metres during the day. Continued waves of light precipitation are expected overnight and during the day. Moderate precipitation combined with moderate gusting to strong Southerly winds are forecast for Saturday.Sunday: The freezing level should lower to valley bottoms as the winds lighten and back to the South. Light precipitation is expected to continue as another wave of moisture is spun off of the Pacific Low that is anchored in the Gulf of Alaska.Monday: The next wave of wind and precipitation is expected to move into the region from the southwest. Forecast amounts are about 10 mm at this time.
Avalanche Summary
Some reports of loose natural avalanches up to size 1.0 from steep unsupported terrain on Thursday. The warm storm has probably changed this by Friday afternoon.
Snowpack Summary
The new storm has come in very warm, and snowfall amounts have been variable across the region. There may be a storm slab between 10-30 cm above surface hoar that was deposited earlier in the week. A deeper surface hoar layer we're calling the November 17th SH can be found down around 60 cm in depth. This layer has been quite a bit more reactive here than it has been in the Selkirks or even as close as the Roger's Pass. There is a rain crust near the ground that we're calling the early November crust. There are some facets below it, or it may appear as a sandwich of crusts and facets, but it's been reported as unreactive at this time. There is still a sharp transition in snow depth from treeline to below treeline making back-country travel challenging under 1300 m in elevation.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.