Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 21st, 2019 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
kdevine,
Avalanche Canada
With another round of fresh snow on Saturday night, avalanche hazard remains elevated. Continue to avoid avalanche terrain.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY NIGHT - Mainly cloudy with flurries, 5-15 cm / southwest wind, 20-30 km/h / alpine low temperature near -9
SUNDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries, up to 5 cm / southeast wind, 10-20 km/h / alpine high temperature near -7
MONDAY - Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries, 5-10 cm / southwest wind, 10-20 km/h / alpine high temperature near -7
TUESDAY - Cloudy with sunny periods / southeast wind, 20-40 km/h / alpine high temperature near -10
Avalanche Summary
Though the storm is tapering off, widespread fresh storm slabs are expected to remain reactive on Sunday.
Observations were limited on Saturday due to ongoing stormy conditions, but it is likely that an avalanche cycle was occurring throughout the day.
Numerous natural, human and explosives triggered avalanches up to size 2 were reported on Friday.
There were numerous reports on Thursday of natural, explosives and human triggered avalanches up to size 2.5. Some of these were triggered remotely.
Snowpack Summary
The South Columbias are seeing the tail end of the recent storm with up to 15 cm Saturday night, and more flurries expected on Sunday. The region has seen 60-100 cm of new snow since Thursday night. Storm slabs are widespread and are expected to remain reactive on Sunday.
There is anywhere from 100-160 cm of snow on top of a widespread layer of large, feathery surface hoar crystals. With more snow continuing to accumulate above this layer, it will likely remain very sensitive to human-triggering.
A weak layer that formed in late November is now over 160 cm deep. This is the layer of concern relating to the listed persistent slab avalanche problem. The weak layer may present as surface hoar, a crust, facets or a combination, depending on elevation and aspect.
Terrain and Travel
- Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
- Avoid the runout zones of avalanche paths. Avalanches could run full path.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm slabs are widespread and are expected to continue to be reactive.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
A couple of weak layers formed in late November and early December are now over 100 cm below the surface. This layer may present as surface hoar, a crust, facets or a combination of those, depending on elevation and aspect.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 22nd, 2019 5:00PM
