Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 21st, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Deep Persistent Slabs.
mbender,
Avalanche Canada
The wind has switched from mostly southerly to northerly. Expect to see windslabs on a variety of aspects.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Most recent reports indicate wind slab avalanche activity to size 1 and 1.5 in the alpine.
Snowpack Summary
Recent new snow accumulation is being redistributed by moderate southwest winds switching to north and northeast.
A melt-freeze crust from late January can found down 60-80 cm. At the moment this layer appears to be gaining strength though in isolated areas small facets can still found above the crust.
There is a widespread weak layer of large sugary of facets at the bottom of the snowpack. Recent avalanche activity on this layer has been confined to northern parts of the region in the Chilcotins. Snowpack depths around treeline range between 150 to 250 cm.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Mainly with cloudy clear periods, Light to moderate north and northeast wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.
Wednesday
Cloudy with sunny periods. Light to moderate northeast wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Thursday
Mix of sun and cloud. Moderate northeast wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.
Friday
Mix of sun and cloud. Light northerly wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
- In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent new snow combined with moderate wind from a variety of directions has promoted new wind slab formation on a variety of aspects.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
A layer of weak facets sits near the base of the snowpack. This layer is most likely to be problematic in steep, unsupported, wind-loaded terrain in the northern part of the region around the Chilcotins.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 22nd, 2023 4:00PM
