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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2019–Jan 8th, 2019

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal.

New snow accumulated over the weekend. Expect to see new wind slab formation.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT: Clear periods, light to moderate southwest winds, alpine temperature -9 CTUESDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods, Light northeast winds, alpine temperature -6 CWEDNESDAY: Mainly cloudy with flurries, light southeast winds, alpine temperature -7 C, possible temperature inversionTHURSDAY: Snow with accumulation 10-15 cm, moderate south winds, alpine temperature -1 C, freezing level 1300m

Avalanche Summary

There was report of a skier triggered avalanche outside the Shames ski area on Monday afternoon. There are however no specific details regarding this incident at the time this report was written.

Snowpack Summary

There has been around 15-25 cm of new snow in the Terrace area over the weekend. This new snow is possibly sitting on top of weak feathery surface hoar in sheltered areas. The upper snowpack varies substantially with elevation. Above around 1400 m, expect to find the new snow and lingering wind slabs. Below around 1400 m there may a crust just below the most recent new snow. For most of the region around 150 to 200 cm deep, a weak layer of sugary faceted snow buried on December 8 may still exist. It is likely that this layer was the culprit of a large, remotely-triggered avalanche on December 30 near Terrace, described in a MIN report here. The likelihood of triggering this layer is decreasing, but it could be triggered by humans in shallow snowpack areas.In the northern part of the region around Ningunsaw pass, a couple weak layers of feathery surface hoar may be found that were buried near the end of December. Expect to find these layers about 50 to 120 cm deep.

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.