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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 18th, 2024–Feb 19th, 2024

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Use caution in sheltered areas where buried surface hoar or crust layers may exist.Additionally, avalanches may be triggered near ridgetops where wind-affected snow accumulates.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several natural, rider and explosive-triggered avalanches occurred over the last week. Notably, a large avalanche triggered by skiers occurred on Saturday. Check this MIN for details.All the recent avalanches were either wind slabs or persistent slabs failing on the weak layers described in the snowpack summary.

While natural avalanche activity is expected to taper off, the chance of rider-triggered avalanches is expected to persist into the following week.

Snowpack Summary

All exposed terrain at treeline and above is highly wind affected by recent strong winds from variable directions.

In sheltered terrain, a new layer of surface hoar is forming on the surface and a sun crust may be found on steep south and west-facing slopes.

A layer of surface hoar and/or facets may be found buried 20-30 cm in sheltered terrain.

A crust from late January can be found down 20-50 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, no precipitation, 10 km/h southwest alpine wind, treeline temperature -1°C, freezing level dropping to 600 m.

Monday

Cloudy north of the Nass Valley, a mix of sun and cloud in the south, trace amounts of snow, 10-15 km/h variable alpine wind, treeline temperature 0°C to -3°C, chance of above freezing layer in southern parts of the region.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and clouds, no precipitation, 10-20 km/h northwesterly alpine wind, treeline temperature -6°C, chance of above freezing layer in southern parts of the region.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, no precipitation, 15-20 km/h westerly alpine wind, treeline temperature 3°C to -3°C, chance of above freezing layer in southern parts of the region.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.

Problems

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.

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.