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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 10th, 2024–Dec 11th, 2024

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Warm temperatures are increasing the chance of avalanches. Monitor the conditions and back off slopes as the surface becomes wet.

Reactive wind slabs may exist in high elevation terrain.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

There have been no recent reports in the region. We suspect the likelihood of avalanches has decreased substantially since the storm on the weekend, but rider-triggered wind slabs may still be possible at upper elevations on Wednesday.

Wet loose avalanches may be seen, especially from steep slopes facing the sun.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

New surface hoar development exists in wind and sun sheltered, open terrain. At treeline and above, moist snow surfaces are seen on slopes facing the sun.

In the alpine, 20 to 40 cm of snow from the weekend sits above a thin crust. At lower 10-20 cm of snow sits above a a crust. The snow is moist below the crust.

Snow depths at treeline vary across the region. Around 90 cm is reported in the Coquihalla and 60 cm near Manning Park.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with clear periods. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +3 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods. 15 to 25 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +5 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated wet flurries. 15 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Friday

Snow 5 to 15 cm. 15 km/h south ridgetop winds gusting to 50 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing 1100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.