Regions
Northwest Inland.
Lingering wind slabs remain the primary concern and may be present on a variety of aspects.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Sunny / Light northeasterly winds / Average temperature at treeline -10 C.Thursday: Sunny / Light to moderate northeasterly winds / Average temperature at treeline -18 C.Friday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwesterly winds / Average temperature at treeline -15 C.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported in this region.
Snowpack Summary
Clear skies and strong outflow winds have created a variety of snow surfaces including scouring and hard wind slabs in exposed areas and surface hoar formation in sheltered areas. Recent winds have blown from many directions, most recently from the east. As a result, wind slabs may exist on a wide variety aspects. According to reports near Smithers, there is a layer of surface hoar down 40-50 cm, though no recent activity has been reported on this layer. A thick rain crust that formed in early November is now buried 50-60 cm deep. Early season snowpack observations are still very limited in the region, but reports suggest the average snowpack depth is 50-90 cm at treeline and 120 cm or greater in the alpine.
Problems
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.