Pacific moisture is forecast to slide down out of the Northwest over the next few days resulting in increased avalanche danger.
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Monday
Weather Forecast
Cloudy overnight with moderate westerly winds and freezing levels down to valley bottoms. Winds becoming strong southwest on Sunday with light precipitation starting in the afternoon as freezing levels rise up to about 1600 metres. 5-10 cm of new snow combined with strong southwest winds by Monday morning. Expect heavier snowfall in the north and east of the region. Light snow (maybe another 3-5 cm) and moderate winds on Tuesday.
Avalanche Summary
Small (size 1-1.5) skier-triggered wind slabs have been reported in exposed alpine terrain, and loose snow sluffing in steep terrain.
Snowpack Summary
Variable recent storm snow totals across the region are generally in the 5-25 cm range. The snow surface varies with elevation and aspect with respect to sun and wind exposure, and includes dry new snow, loose facetted snow, wind slabs, and sun crusts. The mid-February crust is down around 10-30 cm where it isn't wind loaded or scoured. The late-Jan crust/surface hoar layer (up to 100 cm deep) and the mid-January surface hoar (80-120 cm deep) are generally dormant, and chances of triggering these weaknesses have decreased. However, triggering may be possible with a large input such as cornice fall, or an avalanche stepping down, especially on slopes that see a lot of sun.
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.