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 21st, 2021–Jan 22nd, 2021

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

Regions

Northwest Inland.

 Enjoy the clear weather but remember triggering avalanches remains possible on steep and rocky slopes.

Confidence

Moderate - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern; little change is expected for several days. Uncertainty is due to the fact that deep persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Weather Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, light north wind, treeline temperatures around -8 C.

FRIDAY: Sunny, light north wind, treeline temperatures around -6 C.

SATURDAY: Increasing cloud during the day, light northwest wind, treeline temperatures around -6 C.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries and up to 5 cm of snow, moderate northwest wind, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

Avalanche Summary

Extreme wind on Tuesday resulted in a natural cycle of wind slab avalanches. Wind slabs should be gaining strength, but may still be possible to trigger on certain slopes.

Deep persistent slab avalanche activity has been more sporadic (as it often is). A size 2.5 avalanche was reported from Skilokis over the weekend, that appeared to be triggered by a cornice and failed on a facet/crust layer. Explosives triggered a few size 2.5 avalanches near the southern boundary of the region on Jan 7 as well as some very large size 3-4 avalanches at Ningunsaw earlier this week. These are reminders of this low-probability / high-consequence scenario.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of snow from earlier this week has been redistributed by strong southwest wind. Since then temperatures have cooled leaving wind slabs in the alpine, unconsolidated powder in sheltered terrain, and a shallowly buried crust below 1000 m. A few isolated surface hoar layers were observed forming in early January and would now be 30-60 cm deep if preserved, but these layers have not been reported in any recent snowpack or avalanche observations. The main snowpack feature we are tracking is two crusts with weak faceted snow in the lower snowpack. The upper crust is 70-140 cm deep in the Smithers area and has shown signs of being possible to trigger from shallow areas. The deeper crust is near the bottom of the snowpack and is most likely to trigger from steep rocky slopes (especially in thinner ranges like the Babines).

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.
  • Be especially cautious near rock outcroppings, on steep convexities and anywhere the snowpack feels thinner than average.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.