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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 25th, 2024–Jan 26th, 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, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Clearwater, Jordan, Shuswap, Gold, North Okanagan.

Expect deeper and more reactive slabs in wind-loaded terrain features.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Storm slabs were reactive earlier in the week, with numerous natural, human- and remote-triggered avalanches up to size 2. On Wednesday, avalanche activity became more specific to wind-loaded features, with several naturals up to size 2.5 on north to east aspects in the alpine and upper treeline elevations.

Snowpack Summary

30-50 cm of recent snow sits over a layer of facets formed during the early January cold snap. At upper elevations, the recent snow has seen some redistribution by wind. At lower elevations, a thin crust or moist snow may be found at the surface.

Old layers of surface hoar and crusts in the mid snowpack appear to be healing. The mid and lower snowpack is generally strong and well bonded.

Weather Summary

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy with 10 cm of new snow in areas near Highway 1. South alpine wind 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. Southwest alpine wind 30-40 km/h. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with flurries brining a few cm of new snow. South alpine wind 15-30 km/h. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1900 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. South alpine wind 20-40 km/h. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • Caution around convexities or sharp changes in terrain.

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.