Avalanche bulletins issued for parts of Rocky Mountains; 15 to 40 cm of snow expected | Globalnews.ca

An atmospheric river from the Pacific that’s made its way inland has prompted Avalanche Canada to issue bulletins for parts of the Rocky Mountains.

The bulletins pertain to Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho national parks.

Avalanche Canada is forecasting Level 4, or very dangerous avalanche conditions, for those areas — except for Jasper, which is at Level 3, or considerable.

“An intense weather system arrives early Sunday morning with forecast snow amounts ranging from 15 to 40-plus cm depending on the weather model and strong to extreme west winds,” Avalanche Canada said in the bulletin.

“Another strong pulse of snow is forecast for Monday. Freezing levels will hover around 1,900 metres until things start to cool off on Tuesday morning.”

“As the new snow and wind arrives, wind slabs will be forming rapidly over the next couple of days and natural and human triggered avalanches will be very likely in steep loaded terrain,” Avalanche Canada said. “Watch for overhead hazard as cornice failures are also likely.”

In its ratings, Avalanche Canada says for Level 4, travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.

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In related news, Environment Canada has been issuing winter storm warnings this weekend for the Trans-Canada Highway in B.C.’s southeast region.

According to the national weather agency, the highway could see 30 to 50 centimetres of snow through to Monday.

However, at lower elevations, the highway could also see 45 to 75 millimetres of rain.

For the latest road conditions in B.C., visit DriveBC.

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