Avalanche Forecast

Moderate -

A mix of sun and cloud is expected on Friday with lingering flurries in the south of the region.  Alpine winds are forecast to be light to moderate from the north and freezing levels are expected to be around 600 m.  Mostly cloudy conditions are forecast for Saturday with sunny breaks in the morning and light snowfall in the afternoon or evening.  Alpine winds are forecast to be moderate from the northwest and treeline temperatures are expected to be around -10C.  A mix of sun and cloud is forecast for Sunday with moderate northeast winds in the alpine and treeline temperatures around -15C.

On Thursday during the storm, natural storm slabs up to size 2.5 were observed in the Duffey Lake area.  These avalanches were reported to be releasing from steep terrain features, gullies, and slopes exposed to cross loading from wind.  On Friday, new storm slabs are expected to remain touchy, especially in wind load terrain and on steep slopes.  Extra caution is recommended on steep sun exposed slopes where the sun may cause the new snow to settle into a slab or trigger natural sluffing.

20-30 cm of new low density snow is expected to accumulate by the end of the storm on Thursday. This brings the total storm snow amounts since Monday to 50-80 cm. Below the new snow from this week lies the Boxing Day interface which consisted of wind affected surfaces, faceted (sugary) snow, or surface hoar. The surface hoar has been observed up to 5 mm in size in the Duffey Lake area. A thin crust may also exist in the upper snowpack and was reported around Coquihalla area last weekend.  Ongoing strong southerly winds during the storm have been loading leeward and cross loaded features in wind exposed terrain. The mid-December interface is now down around 80 cm in the Duffey and over 1 m in the Coquihalla. The mid and lower snowpack are generally expected to be well settled and stable.