Avalanche forecast

Kootenay Boundary

Dec 5 – 6, 2019Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Human triggered avalanches remain likely in parts of the region that received more than 20 cm of snow in the recent storm.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Triggering storm slab avalanches remains a concern in steep and convex terrain, especially in areas the have more than 20 cm of fresh snow.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clearing skies overnight, light wind from the northwest, alpine temperatures drop to -8 C.

THURSDAY: Increasing cloud throughout the day, 30 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -2 C.

FRIDAY: Scattered flurries bring 5-10 cm of new snow, 30-50 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -1 C.

SATURDAY: Flurries continue with another 5-10 cm of snow, 40 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -1 C.

Avalanche Summary

New snow and wind has formed fresh slabs that will be most reactive in wind affected terrain. Several small (size 1) human triggered slab avalanches were reported on Tuesday and Wednesday. These slabs were between 10 to 30 cm thick and occurred on all aspects.

Snowpack Summary

The past few days delivered about 15-30 cm of snow to most parts of the region, with the exception of the Kootenay Pass area that received closer to 40 cm of snow. This snow has been blown around by southwest wind and sits above hard layers of wind pressed snow and crusts. These hard layers could provide a bed surface for avalanches to slide on. The lower snowpack contains several 'sandwiched' layers of facets and crusts as well as a potential surface hoar layer (see video here). These type of layers can potentially develop into avalanche problems, but recent observations suggest they are unreactive at the moment. Snowpack depths are about 120 cm at treeline and taper quickly below treeline.

Regions covered