Another warm-up brings rising avalanche risk.
Uncertainty remains about cornice falls or surface instabilities stepping down to persistent weak layers.
Several persistent weak layers exist in the upper meter of the snowpack. The likelihood of persistent slab avalanches will increase with each consecutive day of warm weather.
As surfaces become wet, loose wet avalanches will become more likely on steep south-facing slopes at all elevations.
On Thursday, skier-triggered and natural storm slabs (up to size 1.5) occurred on northerly alpine terrain in Kookanee Provincial park.
Several dry loose avalanches continue to be triggered by skiers in steep northerly slopes, while wet loose avalanches were solar-triggered on southerly slopes.
Expect an increase in avalanche activity with the forecasted warm weather.
A diurnal melt-freeze cycle occurred in the past days. The surface is either moist or capped with a thin crust on all aspects and elevations except for high northerly slopes where up to 30 cm overlies a thick crust from late March. Below these crusts, the upper snowpack is moist.
Several weak layers from early March, mid-February, and late January can be found in the mid and lower snowpack.
The remainder of the snowpack is generally well settled.
Friday Night
Clear. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level returning to valley bottom.
Saturday
Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4° C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.
Sunday
Sunny. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +8° C. Freezing level around 3000 m.
Monday
Mostly cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of wet snow or rain. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +6° C. Freezing level around 2800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
