Due to a marked increase in avalanche danger with warmer temperatures and rain throughout Saturday, plan to leave the mountains before the rain begins. Come celebrate Avalanche Awareness Day with us at the CDS.
New wind slabs will form on isolated terrain on the NW to SE slopes early in the day and will be reactive to skiers passing by. Older slabs beneath these new ones may also be reactive.
The problem of wet snow without cohesion will become increasingly likely as the day progresses, with temperatures gradually rising above 0 °C and the arrival of rain.
No new avalanches have been observed or reported.
If you head into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
In the alpine and at treeline, conditions are highly variable, with wind-hardened snow, pockets of powder, wind slabs of varying densities, and areas scoured down to bare ground, particularly on west-facing slopes.
Below treeline, 20 to 40 cm of light snow overlies a progressively denser snowpack, down to basal weak layers of faceted grains and depth hoar.
On solar aspects, a sun crust is present 5 to 30 cm below the surface.
At mid-elevation, the average snowpack depth is around 130 cm.
WEATHER FOR THE CHIC-CHOCS RIDGES AND PEAKS
On Saturday, the Chic-Chocs will see rain at the end of the day after a brief mix of sleet and freezing rain, accompanied by strong to extreme winds and very high freezing levels.
Friday evening and night: Clear. South-westerly wind of 20 km/h. Minimum temperature -14°C.
Saturday: Freezing rain starting midday, turning to rain later in the afternoon. Accumulation 10 mm. Wind from the southwest 40 to 90 km/h. High 5°C. Freezing level at 2,900 m.
Sunday: Snow very early in the morning up to 2 cm, then sunny with clouds. Northwest wind 10 to 20 km/h. High -3°C.
Monday: Mostly cloudy. Rain shower 2 mm. West wind 20 to 40 km/h. High 3°C.
For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine weather forecast.
