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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 20th, 2025–Jan 21st, 2025

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Stewart, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Keep your guard up if you venture into avalanche terrain. Wind slabs and buried weak layers remain sensitive to triggering.

Avoid exposure to large, open slopes - including overhead hazard.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

The buried weak layer from early December continues to show reactivity to remote triggering - a clear indication that the snowpack is unstable. Size 2-3 natural and remotely triggered avalanches have been reported daily since the storm. Several began as wind slabs before stepping down.

Activity appears to be concentrated on all aspects except west, at treeline and above. The snowpack is expected to remain primed for human triggering.

Snowpack Summary

Previous storm accumulations of up to 80 cm were heavily wind affected by variable winds in exposed areas. Some aspects are scoured back to hard surfaces, while others hold deep deposits of dense snow.

A layer of surface hoar, facets, or a thin crust is buried 30 to 60 cm deep at upper elevations. Reports suggest this layer is bonding well.

However, buried 100 to 200 cm deep is the current layer of concern - surface hoar, facets, and a crust. This layer produced large natural avalanches during the recent storm and continues to be sensitive to triggering.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with trace amounts of snow. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
  • Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.