South Columbia

The recently formed storm slab is now ripe for human triggering. Conservative terrain choices will be critical throughout the weekend.

Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

The next storm arrives Saturday morning and should produce 5-10 cm of snow by Sunday morning. Cloudy skies and a few flurries are expected for Sunday and Sunday night. The storm breaks Monday with a mix of sun and cloud. Freezing levels are highly variable throughout the region on Saturday and Sunday, ranging from valley bottom to 1200 m. Expect Sunday to be the warmest with a cooling trend beginning Monday morning. Ridgetop winds are expected to remain light to moderate out of the southwest for the forecast period. For additional weather information see avalanche.ca/weather

Numerous natural and human triggered avalanches size 1-2 were reported throughout the region on Thursday.  A few natural size 2.5 avalanches were also reported on larger terrain features. These avalanches occurred on all aspects and elevations. This trend is expected to continue throughout the weekend as the snow load increases.

A 30-40 cm storm slab overlays a variety of surfaces including large surface hoar, sun crusts, and facets. In recent days, the snow above this layer has settled into a cohesive slab and has become increasingly reactive to human triggers. Expect this slab to be thicker on lee features in the alpine. The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled and strong.