South Columbia

Forecast new snow and wind may continue to develop pockets of wind slab in the alpine and at treeline.

Expect 3-5 cm of new snow overnight combined with moderate southwest winds and alpine temperatures around -15. Another 3-5 cm on Sunday with moderate westerly winds. Clear and cold on Monday with moderate northwest winds and alpine temperatures around -20. Clear and cold on Tuesday with light winds.

Some loose dry avalanches size 1.0 were reported from both the Monashees and the Selkirks at treeline and in the alpine.

Moderate - Wind speed and direction is uncertain

The recent storm snow is settling slowly due to the cold temperatures. Variable wind effect has created wind slabs in the alpine in some areas, and others report little or no wind resulting in loose unconsolidated snow. The depth of the mid-november crust is also variable across the region. Reports have the crust down between 100-200 cm and snowpack tests have produced a wide array of results from moderate sudden planar to hard resistant planar, and in some cases no result. Watch for near surface facets developing in the upper snowpack that may develop a poor bonding layer before the next storm. If you dig down to the crust, watch for facets developing above and/or below that may provide a weak layer above a smooth sliding surface in the future.