In case you haven't stuck your head outside recently, it's been a cold week throughout western Canada. With overnight lows dipping into the -20 C range on the icefield parkway below treeline that means that winter really has set in in the alpine.
It feels like we skipped October and fast-forwarded straight into November! Current and forecast weather are pretty cool for the foreseeable future, and the weekend looks like a mixed bag in terms of precipitation, depending on where you are. It will be quite a bit wetter the farther west and north you go. The Bow Valley will get a bit of a break this weekend with Sunday shaping up to be pretty nice.
Winter is knocking hard at the door this weekend with a significant storm watch. An arctic front will push cold air through through the Rockies and will be mixing with a low in Washington to produce colder than usual temperatures and locally 20-30cm in alpine regions in the Waterton, Kananasaskis, Canmore and Banff regions. Temperatures will go below zero for the next few days and most objectives both rock and alpine will most likely be shut down until the weather settles.
As I write this summary there are stars shimmering through the thick Hemlock canopy surrounding our tiny house, implying a sense of clarity and peace. Shrieking winds raging through mountain passes, rime-coated clothing and ropes, and freshly hidden crevasses all seem like parts of a distant past...but this brief calm belies my recent experiences in the Coast mountains.
Autumn is in full swing in the Rockies and Columbias. Mornings are crisp, afternoons are warm in the sun, the trees are colourful, and if there is precipitation it is generally in the form of snow at higher elevations.
WEATHER
Last weekend was cold and wet with snow in alpine areas in both mountain ranges. Since then it has been variable, running the gamut from sunny to cloudy to showery precipitation.
Weather.
Looks like the nice weather will continue through Saturday with unsettled weather moving in on Saturday evening and hanging around until Monday. Freezing lines are going to be lower than the last week, with snow expected on the higher peaks in the ranges. Up to 5cm of snow above 3000m.
Hazards
1. Rockfall
Posted on behalf of Andrew Councell
As I just wrote a conditions report for the Joffre and Tantalus areas a few days ago, I don’t have much to add for the coming weekend. That said there are a few things to keep in mind going into the weekend.
Weather.
Unsettled weather is forecasted for the weekend with chance of afternoon thunderstorms and the bulk of the rain on Saturday night Sunday. Freezing levels will remain above mountain top.
Conditions,
Looks like some more unsettled weather for the weekend. Current forecasts predict that it will be generally drier the farther East and South you travel and that Sunday should be drier than Saturday. Freezing levels will remain at or above 3000m.
Overall, conditions in the alpine continue to be better than what has become the new 'normal' for this time of year. Glaciers are in relatively good shape and many snow slopes, like the Bugaboo-Snowpatch col and the Swiss Glacier route on mount Rogers are hanging in there but starting to show signs of deterioration.
It seems like rainfall amounts and freezing levels varied fairly widely across the ranges today. More variable moisture is in the forecast tomorrow so it is difficult to make an accurate summary at this point.
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