With mild temperatures overnight, surface snow will remain moist at most elevations.
Keep loose wet avalanches in mind as you travel on steep slopes.
Wet loose avalanches are likely on steep slopes at lower elevations. A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
Few small wet loose natural avalanches were observed on Mt Fernie on Thursday. Explosive control produced numerous storm slabs up to size 1.5 around Fernie on Wednesday. If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Variable surfaces exist at treeline and above; up to 10 cm of recently settled snow, wind-affected surfaces, and melt-freeze crust. Surface snow is moist from 2000 m and below. A prominent rain crust is 30 to 60 cm deep. The lower snowpack was rain-soaked and remains moist in some areas.
The total snow depth is higher around Fernie than elsewhere in the region, with 75 to 130 cm at treeline. The snowpack depth rapidly tapers below treeline.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation, alpine wind west 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -1° C, freezing level at 1700 m.
Friday
Cloudy with isolated flurries, 5-10 cm of wet snow in afternoon/ evening, alpine wind southwest 40 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -1° C, freezing level at 1800 m dropping to 1000 m at night.
Saturday
Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation, alpine wind northwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -3° C, freezing level 1000 m.
Sunday
A mix of sun and clouds with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -7° C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
