South Rockies

Snow is on the way for the weekend! Until then, practice good travel habits and use caution around terrains traps.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy skies with isolated flurries bringing trace amounts of snow, strong wind from the west, treeline temperatures around -6 C.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries bringing a trace amounts snow, moderate wind from the west, treeline temperatures around -5 C with freezing level around 1500 m.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries starting in the morning bringing 5-10 cm of snow by the evening, strong wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

SUNDAY: Stormy weather continues with another 5-15 cm of snow, moderate wind, treeline temperatures drop from -10 to -15 C throughout the day.

Avalanche activity over the past few days has been limited to small (size 1) slab and loose avalanches in steep alpine terrain.

5-15 cm of fresh snow sits above hard wind-affect snow and melt-freeze crusts. Some small surface hoar may be found above the crust in sheltered terrain. The snowpack below is well consolidated, with a crust/facet layer found near the bottom of the snowpack. It is currently considered dormant, but could become active later this season as discussed in this forecaster blog.

• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
• When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.