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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 28th, 2025–Jan 29th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

New wind slabs need time to settle and bond.

Keep in mind a buried weak layer exists and there is the potential for large avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few small and large (size 1 to 2) natural avalanches were reported on Monday on northeast alpine slopes.

It has been a while since a persistent slab avalanche has been reported, however, with new load (snow) on the weak layer it is uncertain if it will become active again. Test results and whumpfing indicate the layer is weak and unstable.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 20 cm of new snow fell on Monday and Tuesday. Expect lesser amounts of new snow the further east you go. It came with strong southwest wind which built slabs on lee slopes and scoured exposed areas back to old, hard layers.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. This layer exists on all aspects up to around 1700 m.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with 1 to 2 cm of snow. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and clouds with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10°C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and clouds with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 15 km/h south then north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and clouds. 20 to 60 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -22 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.