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 10th, 2013–Jan 11th, 2013

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

Regions

Cariboos.

Confidence

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Weather Forecast

Friday: Light NW wind. Alpine temperature near -14. No precipitation.Saturday:Light W wind. Alpine temperature near -15. Trace of snow.Sunday: Light W wind. Alpine temperature near -14. No snow.

Avalanche Summary

A natural cycle of size 1-2.5 storm slabs occurred over the last three days. Skiers also triggered avalanches up to size 2, failing on buried surface hoar or facets. The touchy nature of the buried surface hoar was revealed by a skier-remote triggered avalanche, and a skier-triggered size 1 which ran across a flat bench and triggered a size 2 on another slope. Both these events were in the 1350-1450m elevation band on N/NE aspects in the south of the region.

Snowpack Summary

New snow has developed into slabs, with a weak bond to old snow surfaces including surface hoar (found especially below about 1600 m in sheltered areas) and facets. Variable amounts of storm snow (25-90 cm) have fallen across the region, meaning the avalanche danger is likely to be different from place to place. In heaviest-affected areas, there is the potential for deep and destructive storm snow avalanches. Strong winds have left wind slabs in the lee of terrain breaks such as ridges and ribs at alpine and treeline elevations. In areas sheltered from the wind, fast-moving sluff could throw you off your feet or carry you into a terrain trap. A strong mid-pack overlies a weak facet/crust layer near the base of the snowpack.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.