Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 9th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
ahanna,
Avalanche Canada
Watch for freshly formed wind slabs in lee terrain features at upper elevations.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A widespread natural avalanche cycle was observed during the storm towards the end of the week, producing loose wet and storm slab avalanches. On Friday, explosive control work near Fernie produced storm slab avalanches, size 1.5-2.
Snowpack Summary
30-50 cm of recent snow seems to be bonding well to a hard melt-freeze crust. When the wind picks up, this snow is available for transport and may be redistributed into wind slabs.
Beneath the upper crust, the remainder of the rain-moistened snowpack is slowly refreezing into a solid block.
Snowpack depths are approximately 60 to 120 cm at treeline, tapering rapidly with elevation.
Weather Summary
Saturday night
Cloudy with 2-5 cm of new snow. Moderate southwest wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. Moderate southwest wind, treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Monday
Up to 5 cm of snow then clearing. Light northeast wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.
Tuesday
A mix of sun and cloud. Light southwest wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
- Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
- Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
Problems
Wind Slabs
As the wind picks up, recent snow will be redistributed into soft, fresh wind slabs. These are most likely found at upper elevations, in leeward terrain features such as ridgecrests and roll-overs.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 10th, 2023 4:00PM
