Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 29th, 2018 3:43PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
jfloyer,
Avalanche Canada
Recent storm and wind slabs are primed for human-triggering. Give the snow a little time before considering objectives on which an avalanche would have consequences.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY NIGHT: Flurries. Temperatures starting to cool.SUNDAY: Dry with sunny breaks. Light northwesterly winds. Treeline temperatures around -9C.MONDAY: Flurries starting later in the day. Moderate southwesterly winds. Treeline temperatures around -8C.TUESDAY: 2-4 cm new snow. Strong southwesterly winds. Freezing level rising to around 1200 m.
Avalanche Summary
Some natural avalanche activity is very likely in response to the recent heavy loading by new snow and wind. We often have a hard time getting reports of avalanche activity from this region, so if you see anything, please post your observations to the Mountain Information Network! (MIN). Thanks!
Snowpack Summary
The most recent storm has deposited approximately 30 cm new snow with strong winds from the west. Buried under the snow in sheltered areas, you may find one or two weak layers comprising surface hoar (feathery crystals) and/or facets (sugary snow). The upper one may have been buried around December 22 and is likely buried 30-50 cm below the surface. The lower one was buried in early December and is now approximately 80-120 cm below the surface. Deeper in the snowpack, there are several crusts including an early season crust with facets near the bottom of the snowpack.Three different parties have reported recent whumpfing in the Telkwa and Hankin areas, possibly on the facets near the base of the snowpack, or on one of the other weak layers. This indicates the snowpack should not be completely trusted at this time.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Recent snowfall has set up storm and wind slabs in steep terrain, particularly where wind has redistributed the snow.
Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.The new snow will require several days to settle and stabilize.Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, or cracking.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 30th, 2018 2:00PM
