Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 7th, 2023–Feb 8th, 2023

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

Regions

Cariboos, Blue River, Clearwater, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Clemina, North Monashee, Renshaw, Robson.

Continued snowfall and wind have created dangerous avalanche conditions, especially around wind-loaded slopes. Sheltered terrain will likely offer the best and safest riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

The poor visibility over the last few days has kept operators from seeing into higher elevations however several small natural wind slab avalanches were observed, up to size 1.5, at treeline on steep east-facing slopes.

On Saturday, wind slabs were reported to be reactive to skier traffic at treeline. A natural wind slab avalanche, size 2, was reported on an east aspect at 2100 m.

Snowpack Summary

An additional 10-15 cm of new snow, +20 in the Mcbride area, brings this week's storm snow totals to 60-100 cm. Southwesterly winds continue to transport storm snow into deep pockets in lees. Storm snow sits above a plethora of old snow surfaces including previously wind-affected snow at upper elevations, a sun crust on steep solar aspects, faceted snow, and surface hoar crystals in wind-sheltered terrain.

In the upper meter of the snowpack sits two layers of surface hoar crystals and/or a melt-freeze crust. The surface hoar is most likely found around treeline and lower alpine elevations. The melt-freeze crust is found up to 1800 m on all aspects and into the alpine on sun-exposed slopes.

Large and weak facets from November are near the base of the snowpack and continue to produce very large avalanches in the region.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with flurries, 5-10 cm accumulation. Ridge wind southwest becoming west 20-40 km/h. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -7 °C. Freezing level drop to valley bottom overnight.

Wednesday

Cloudy with flurries tapering off in the morning, 1-5 cm accumulation. Periods of sun in the afternoon. Alpine temperatures rise to -7 C. 40 km/h west ridge wind west easing to light in the afternoon. Freezing level rises to 1000 meters.

Thursday

Partly cloudy with isolated flurries, 1-5 cm accumulation. Moderate ridge wind from the southwest picks up to 40-70 km/h in the evening. Alpine temperatures rise to -3 C. Freezing level rises to 1500 meters.

Friday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 5-10 cm accumulation. Ridge wind southwest 20-40 km/h. Alpine temperatures rise to -2 C. Freezing level rises to 1300 meters.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Sheltered low elevation terrain will likely offer the best and safest riding today.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

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.