Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 19th, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
Avalanche Canada,
Avalanche Canada
UPDATED AT 6:20 PST: It is uncertain how quickly the new snow will stabilize.
Watch for shooting cracks and whumpfs, these are clear signs it needs more time.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
It's expected that the natural cycle is largely over, but human-triggered avalanches are likely on Thursday. No avalanches have been reported, so check Avalanche.ca for MIN reports.
On Wednesday, there was a widespread avalanche cycle. With natural and human triggered avalanches reported up to size 3.
A few large persistent slab avalanches were also reported. Failing on east and north aspects between 1800 and 2300 m south of Shelter Bay in the Selkirks and Purcells.
Snowpack Summary
Another 5 to 10 cm of snow Thursday night brings the storm total to around 30-50 cm. This soft snow is being redistributed by west southwest wind in the alpine and open treeline.
A surface hoar layer formed in early December is now buried 50 to 90 cm and is most prevalent between 1700 to 2200 m. So far, this layer has only produced avalanches in the southeast of this region.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm. 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with up to 5 cm of snow ending in the morning. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C, freezing level 1800 m.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with 5 cm of snow ending in the morning. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
- Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
- Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
Problems
Storm Slabs
New snow may still need time to bond to underlying layers. Gain confidence on small terrain features before committing to bigger lines.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 20th, 2024 4:00PM
