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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 23rd, 2024–Nov 24th, 2024

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Howson, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Avalanches are most likely to fail on steep westerly through southerly wind-affected slopes near ridgetops.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday cracking and whumpfing, which are signs of instability, were noted in the Smithers area.

A few large (size 2) wind slab avalanches were reported last week. We suspect with recent and forecast wind, wind slabs may remain reactive to human triggering over the next few days.

Early season reports have been extremely limited. Please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A 5 to 10 cm layer of new snow may cover older wind-affected surfaces. Strong easterly winds previously created slabs on many lee slopes. Sunday’s forecasted winds could form new, thin but reactive wind slabs on top of the old ones.A rain crust from early November is likely buried 30 to 50 cm deep and may be poorly bonded to overlying wind slabs.Most areas below treeline do not have enough snow to meet the threshold for avalanches.Alpine snow depths vary across the region, with about 100 cm west of Smithers, 50 cm to the east, and around 100 cm in the Ningunsaw area.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h east wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy with 0 to 1 cm of snow. 25 to 35 km/h east wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 10 to 15 km/h variable wind. Treeline temperature -13°C

Tuesday

Partly cloudy. 50 km/h west wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
  • Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.

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.