Purcells

It is still possible to trigger large avalanches. Hazard will fall as the temperature drops, but forecasting when and how this will happen is challenging. It would be prudent to keep things conservative until the snowpack cools off and settles.

FRIDAY: snow starting in the morning with accumulations of up to 5cm through the day. SATURDAY: 5-8cm snow overnight, flurries through the day. SUNDAY: Up to 10cm of snow. Winds will be light from the west through the forecast period. Freezing levels will hover at 1500m.

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Sunday

A continued cycle of natural loose wet sluffs reaching Size 2 has been associated with daytime warming over the last couple of days. A natural  Size 1.5 avalanche was observed in the Kicking Horse slackcountry on Thursday that apparently ran on a reloaded bed surface in a wind loaded feature.  The interface is suspected to be the early January weak layer.  Natural persistent slab avalanche activity was also observed earlier in the week, with a report of two Size 2.5s also in the Kicking Horse backcountry, that also released on the surface hoar, facet and crust weakness as deep as a meter down.

Wet surface snow capped by a supportive melt freeze crust can be found on solar aspects and at lower elevations,  Dry snow can still be found on high north facing terrain. New surface hoar growth may be found at and below treeline on shaded aspects. Sustained winds have scoured north and west-facing alpine slopes and formed fresh wind slabs and cornices. The early January surface hoar/ facet layer is typically down 70-90 cm. Recent very large avalanches have been failing on this interface in the north of the region (see avalanche discussion) and it continues to produce sudden planar results in snow pit tests. In general, the lower snowpack is well settled and strong, apart from some thin snowpack areas where basal facets exist.