Avalanche forecast

Northwest Inland

Dec 20 – 21, 2023Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The forecast calls for light amounts of precipitation over the next few days. If the wind picks up, watch for fresh wind slab formation at upper elevations.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Watch for pockets of deeper, wind deposited snow around ridges and gullies.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    A layer of buried surface hoar can be found 30-50 cm below the snow surface. It is reported to be deeper, more reactive in the western part of the region.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

There is no new avalanche activity to report.

If you do go into the backcountry, consider submitting a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Widespread wind-affected surfaces exist at higher elevations with roughly 30 cm of recent snow that has been redistributed by strong southwest alpine winds.

Two different surface hoar layers have been reported in the upper half of the snowpack and appear to be most prominent at treeline and below. Snowpack depth at treeline is 50 to 100 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy with a trace of snow, ridgetop winds southwest 20-40 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 4 cm of snow, ridgetop wind south and southwest 15-30 km/h, treeline temperature -3 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 6 cm of snow, ridgetop wind southwest west 30-50 km/h, treeline temperature -1 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow, ridgetop wind south west 15-30 km/h, treeline temperatures -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind, once it starts to blow fresh sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

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