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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 26th, 2017–Dec 27th, 2017

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

Regions

Cariboos.

Cold temperatures mean slow change in the snowpack. Persistent slab problems won't heal quickly. Stay watchful for signs of wind effect and slab formation at lower elevations.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures of -20.Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light northeast winds. Alpine high temperatures of -18.Friday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries bringing a trace of new snow, increasing overnight. Light east winds. Alpine high temperatures of -16.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the region. In addition to lingering wind slabs at higher elevations, persistent slab avalanche danger remains a primary concern in areas where the last week's storm snow consolidates into a slab above the December 15 interface. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Last week's storm brought 20-40cm of new snow to the region. Predominantly northwest winds since the storm redistributed loose snow at the surface into wind slabs on a variety of aspects at higher elevations while cold temperatures inhibited slab formation elsewhere. The cold has also worked to break down the cohesion and reactivity of older wind slabs. The storm snow lies over a variety of old surfaces, including large surface hoar (weak, feather-like crystals), crusts formed by sun or wind, and sugary facets. The bond at this old snow interface is of the greatest importance in areas where the overlying snow has consolidated into a slab. The most concerning areas areas are those that saw pronounced surface hoar development in advance of the storm, such as sheltered areas at and below tree line.A crust which was formed by rain in late November is another major feature in the snowpack and is down approximately 70-100cm at tree line elevations. This interface has shown some signs of reactivity limited to steep, variably loaded alpine features in adjacent regions.

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.