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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 21st, 2021–Apr 22nd, 2021

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos.

Cool cloudy weather has made for generally safe avalanche conditions. Be careful around cornices and the isolated areas where the snowpack isn't capped by a thick crust.

Confidence

High - The snowpack structure is mostly striaghtforward and not unusually variable.

Weather Forecast

A shift to cooler cloudy weather as a cold front crosses the region on Wednesday night.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with a thin dusting of new snow, 40 km/h northeast wind, freezing level drops to valley bottom with treeline temperatures dropping to -10 C.

THURSDAY: Clouds clearing in the morning then sunny in the afternoon, light north wind, freezing level climbs to 1200 m with treeline temperatures around -4 C.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy skies, light southwest wind, freezing level climbs to 1200 m with treeline temperatures around -4 C.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies, light northeast wind, freezing level climbs to 1500 m with treeline temperatures around -2 C.

Avalanche Summary

Warm sunny weather on Monday and Tuesday likely resulted in wet loose avalanche activity on steep sun-exposed slopes. We have several reports of avalanche activity triggered by last week's warming including widespread wet loose avalanches and a few large (size 3) wet slab avalanches in the McBride area.

The cooling trend will make wet avalanches problems less likely in the coming days, making isolated wind slabs and cornice falls the primary concern.

Snowpack Summary

A dusting of new snow will sit above a thick surface crust. Up to 5 cm of snow is expected along the Robson Valley with little to no snow further south and west. The upper snowpack has been undergoing a daily melt-freeze cycle, so with the cooling temperatures a hard crust will form everywhere except in high north-facing terrain where there still may be dry snow above roughly 2300 m. 

We suspect older weak layers have gone inactive as the weather patterns over the past month have been favourable for strengthening the snowpack. That being said, we have very limited field observations to confirm this so make sure to back off if you notice signs of instability.

Terrain and Travel

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.