Cariboos

Human-triggered wind slabs are likely and may be especially touchy where they have formed over a melt-freeze crust.

Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain.

Moderate

• Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
• Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

On Tuesday several natural size 2 to 3 persistent slab avalanches were reported east of Wells Gray.

We expect wind slabs to be reactive to human triggers while they continue to form.

Continued new snow will be redistributed by strong winds forming new slabs over a crust that extends to 2200 m and a settled and wind affected snowpack at upper elevations.

Around 100 cm deep, a layer of surface hoar, facets and/or a crust exists. Uncertainty exists over the reactivity of this layer where there is no crust layer.

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 300 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C. Freezing level 200 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C. Freezing level 0 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
• Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rocky outcrops, and steep terrain where triggering is most likely.