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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 3rd, 2024–Jan 4th, 2024

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

Regions

Cariboos, Clearwater, McBride, Quesnel, Sugarbowl.

Watch for conditions changing throughout the day. Ssmall rider triggerable wind slabs may form as a result of new snow and wind.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported. There are very few field observations coming from this forecast area. Remember that a lack of avalanche reports does not necessarily mean a lack of avalanche activity.

If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

A crust may exist on or near the surface at treeline and below, with recent warm temperatures. The upper snowpack is typically well settled, with no current layers of concern.

The mid-pack contains various noteworthy layers; including two surface hoar layers, one down roughly 20 to 40 cm and another down roughly 60 to 90 cm. Between the two surface hoar layers a crust may exist, primarily at lower elevations.

The current snowpack has considerable variation in structure and depths across the region but is generally facetted and weak.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of new snow expected, south alpine wind 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -7°C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with up to 10 cm of new snow expected, southwest alpine wind 20 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -4°C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of new snow expected, southwest alpine wind 25 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -8°C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with around 5 cm of new snow expected, northeast alpine wind 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -10°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

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.