South Rockies

Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Thursday

Synopsis: The pattern over the next five days starts out cool, convective and gusty. It will gradually turn milder, more stable and less windy towards SaturdayFriday: Freezing Level: Valley Bottom. Precip: 3/6mm – 4/15cm Wind: Light, NorthSaturday: Freezing Level: 800m Precip: 3/6mm – 4/15cm  Wind: Moderate, NorthSunday: Freezing Level:  Precip: No significant precip expected.  Wind: Calm

Sensitive conditions were reported from the Fernie area Thursday where storm slabs were sensitive to human triggering to size 1.5.

As of Thursday afternoon storm totals hovered right around the 20 cm mark. Storm slabs will likely continue to be an issue on Friday. Wind-loaded slopes and spill zones (fans where snow accumulates below steep faces) may be particularly touchy. A buried rain crust may provide an easy sliding surface for avalanches. This crust is now down 40 - 70 cm and is supportive to at least 2100 m in most areas as it's up to 9 cm thick. It's thought to be strong enough that snowpack weaknesses below it wont be affected by the load of a person, with the caveat that there may be isolated exceptions (e.g. thin spots near rocks at high elevations). The mid-pack is generally well-settled. Cornices are large and fragile in some areas.