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

Dec 25th, 2022–Dec 26th, 2022

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

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, South Bulkley, South Bulkley.

Ongoing wind slab formation is expected to continue on Monday. These wind slabs likely sit over a weak layer which may increase their size and reactivity. Extra caution and conservative terrain selection are recommended at higher elevations.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Saturday.

On Friday afternoon, the Avalanche Canada field team reported ski-cutting a few size 1 avalanches on a north aspect convex roll feature at 1600 m elevation in the Hankin-Evelyn area. These failed on the old, hard surfaces and encompassed up to 25 cm of the recent storm snow.

Snowpack Summary

The new snow has buried a highly variable surface from the recent period of cold temperatures and outflow winds. The old wind-affected surface was generally very hard and in many places, the snow had been stripped to the ground. In sheltered areas around treeline, faceting had been observed and the snow surface was becoming unconsolidated.

Prior to the new storm snow, a layer of surface hoar could be found down 20 to 30 cm at treeline but had not been an active layer of concern.

Generally, the snowpack is shallow and highly variable in terms of depth, with the mid and lower snowpack presenting as settled and dense.

Weather Summary

A series of warm Pacific storm systems continue to impact the coast but only limited amounts of precipitation are forecast to push into the inland regions. However, some of the warm air has reached the interior with a temperature inversion in the valleys.

Sunday night

Snowfall 5-10 cm, moderate to strong S-SW wind, freezing level generally at valley bottom with some warmer air potentially sitting around 1500 m.

Monday

Snowfall 5-10 cm, moderate to strong S-SW wind, freezing level generally at valley bottom with some warmer air potentially sitting around 1500 m.

Tuesday

Mainly cloudy with a chance of sunny breaks, light to moderate E wind, treeline high around -6 °C.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy with a chance of both sunny breaks and isolated flurries, moderate SW wind, treeline high around -8 °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.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.

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.