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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 30th, 2025–Jan 31st, 2025

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

Regions

Cariboos, North Columbia, South Columbia, Blue River, Clearwater, Premier, Quesnel, Clemina, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, Central Selkirk, Gold.

Expect dangerous avalanche conditions with the arrival of new snow.

The new forecaster's blog outlines how shifting your mindset can help with changing conditions.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, riders triggered a few large avalanches 30 to 50 cm deep on northeast terrain in the alpine. One large avalanche 80 cm deep also released naturally on a south aspect.

These add to the several wind slab avalanches reported in the recent days, mostly found at ridge crests on varying aspects. Many of these avalanches are releasing on the weak layers described in the Snowpack Summary.

Snowpack Summary

The new snow has fallen on a variety of old surfaces. There is surface hoar, more prevalent around treeline and below, a crust on sun-facing slopes, and 20 to 30 cm of low-density faceted snow in sheltered areas.

Dry January conditions have created a weak, faceted upper snowpack with multiple surface hoar and crust layers within the upper snowpack. These layers are a concern with the new snow amounts forecasted.

The mid and lower snowpack remains generally well-settled and strong, with no current concerns or significant instability noted.

Weather Summary

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy with up 10 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature - 16 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.