Update 7:00 am: Natural avalanches are expected at upper elevations.
Persistent slabs remain possible to human trigger at treeline and above.
At upper elevations, where the crust is thinner or not present, it may still be possible to trigger persistent slabs on multiple buried weak layers of surface hoar and/or crusts in the top 120 cm of the snowpack.
Forecast 20 to 30 cm of snow and extreme southwest wind on Wednesday night will form storm slabs that will be most reactive in wind affected terrain.
On Tuesday, a few explosive triggered wind slabs were reported in steep alpine terrain near Fernie.
Avalanche activity is expected to increase on Thursday with the forecast snow and wind on Wednesday night.
Forecast 20 to 30 cm of snow and extreme southwest wind on Wednesday night will form storm slabs that will be most reactive in wind affected terrain.
The recent snow sits on a 1 to 10 cm thick crust on all aspects. The thickness of the crust depends on elevation.
At upper elevations, where the crust is thinner or not present, it may still be possible to trigger persistent slabs on multiple buried weak layers of surface hoar and/or crusts in the top 120 cm of the snowpack.
The mid/lower snowpack is well settled and strong in most areas.
Wednesday Night
Cloudy. 20 to 30 cm of snow above 1300 m (rain below). 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
