Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 29th, 2024–Mar 1st, 2024

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

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

The persistent slab may become more reactive with any additional loading (from wind, snow, or a person). The best way to manage this problem is to stick to conservative terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

We have not received any reports of avalanche the last few days.

Looking forward, it remains possible that riders could trigger wind slabs in lee terrain features at higher elevations.

Snowpack Summary

Moderate southwest wind is expected to continue to redistribute fresh snow, forming wind slabs in lee terrain features near ridges. Soft snow may prevail in terrain sheltered from the wind.

A thick and hard widespread crust that formed in early February is buried 40 to 60 cm deep. This crust may have a weak layer of facets sitting above it.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with flurries, up to 10 cm snow. 15 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

Friday

Cloudy with scattered flurries and isolated sunny breaks. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud and isolated flurries. 15 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Sunday

Mix of sun and cloud. 5-15 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully monitor the bond between the new snow and old surface.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.

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.