Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 27th, 2020–Jan 28th, 2020

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 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.

Regions

North Columbia.

Recent fresh snow has been redistributed into pockets of wind slab at treeline and in the alpine. Use caution in wind exposed terrain.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT - Cloudy with clear periods and isolated flurries / southeast wind, 20-30 km/h / alpine low temperature near -8

TUESDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries / southwest wind, 20-40 km/h / alpine high temperature near -6 / freezing level 1300 m

WEDNESDAY - Cloudy with flurries, 5-10 cm / southwest wind, 40-60 km/h / alpine high temperature near -7 / freezing level 1300 m

THURSDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries / southwest wind, 20-40 km/h / alpine high temperature near -6 / freezing level 1200 m

Avalanche Summary

There was a notable avalanche reported in the northern Monashees on Saturday. It was a natural size 4 persistent slab avalanche. It was triggered by a wind slab avalanche that stepped down to a deeper layer.

There was also a notable size 3 persistent slab avalanche in the northern Selkirks on Saturday that was triggered by explosives on a southwest aspect in the alpine.

Since Friday, there have been numerous reports of natural, explosives and human triggered wind and storm slab avalanches up to size 2.5 on all aspects, mainly at treeline and in the alpine. 

Snowpack Summary

Regular snowfall over the past week brought about 40-80 cm of snow to the region, with the greatest accumulations in Monashees. Moderate to strong southerly winds and warm temperatures have promoted slab development at treeline and in the alpine.

Recent rain at lower elevations means that the surface may be either a melt-freeze crust, or wet snow below about 1500 m.

There is a weak layer of surface hoar that is now buried 90 to 170 cm. This layer is suspected to have produced sporadic recent large avalanches in the region.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect and exposure to wind.

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.