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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2025–Dec 17th, 2025

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.
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.

Buried weak layers are an unusual feature of the snowpack in this region.

Choose conservative terrain and avoid steep or large open slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported.

Avalanche activity on the November crust layer has decreased, persistent slabs remain possible and are most likely to be triggered by large loads.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 10 cm of new snow redistributed by strong southwest wind may be found at at upper elevations.

A mid November melt–freeze crust with surface hoar and/or faceted grains lies 40–80 cm below the snow surface. Another crust and facet combination from late October can be found at the base of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy. 10 to 15 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline, . 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and clouds. 2 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Friday

Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °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.

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.