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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2020–Jan 5th, 2020

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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.

Regions

Little Yoho.

Lots of weather inputs which should prompt people to be very conservative with both the terrain they are traveling in and exposure to overhead terrain. The Considerable rating below treeline is for runout zones of large avalanche paths only.

Weather Forecast

Cooling temperatures to -15C in the alpine for Sunday. Winds will be in the moderate range with the odd strong gust at treeline and above, and around 5cm is in the forecast. The cooling trend continues Monday and another pulse of snow is expected on Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

20-40 cm of storm snow, strong Westerly winds and mild temperatures are promoting storm slab formation. Some of the region has a midpack which sits over facets and depth hoar at the base, and other deeper areas have a well settled snowpack with limited facets and weak layers.  Digging down to see what is in the snowpack in your area is important.

Avalanche Summary

Some increasing natural activity today with the strong winds. A size 3 on Mt. Field, a size 2.5 on Vermillion Peak, and another size 2.5 slide in the Sunshine area were directly observed today. We suspect there is a natural cycle occurring currently which will continue as long as the wind keeps up.

Confidence

Wind speed and direction is uncertain

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.