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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 23rd, 2025–Jan 24th, 2025

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

A deeply buried weak layer continues to produce large avalanches, and a conservative mindset is recommended. Watch for fresh slabs where wind moves loose snow.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday and Wednesday, two natural cornice-triggered size 3 slab avalanches occurred in steep terrain. At least one of these failed on the early-Dec weak layer. An older natural size 3 slab avalanche was also observed above Bryant Lake (MIN report).

On Tuesday, the field team observed two older size 2 wind slabs from the highway and an old snowmobile triggered size 2 in the Fraser Chutes.

Last week, a remotely triggered size 3 persistent slab occurred (MIN report).

Snowpack Summary

30-50 cm of settling storm snow from the last week can be found in sheltered terrain. Exposed terrain has been heavily wind-affected.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 80 to 140 cm deep. This layer exists on all aspects up to around 1700 m and recently produced large avalanches.

Check out this recent ACMG Mountain Conditions Report for more on the persistent weak layer problem.

Weather Summary

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. 40 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny breaks. 40 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace to 5 cm. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.

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.