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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2023–Jan 5th, 2023

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

Cariboos, North Rockies, Clearwater, McBride, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Watch for wind slabs forming over the day as southerly winds increase. Small avalanches may step down to deeper weak layers in the snowpack.

Stay cautious of areas where the snowpack depth changes rapidly, such as thin and rocky start zones.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the region. However, there have been a number of reports of spooky stability test results recently.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 30 to 60 cm of low-density snow overlies a generally weak, facetted snowpack with multiple buried weak layers. As southerly winds increase expect wind slabs to build in north facing terrain. New wind slabs may sit over a layer of reactive surface hoar and or crust.

Two layers of concern exist in this snowpack. A layer of facets, crust and surface hoar was buried around Christmas, around 30 to 60cm from the surface. And a layer of large, weak facets near the bottom of the snowpack, buried in November.

Snowpack depths are roughly 100 to 175 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear skies with no snowfall expected. Winds remain light from the south. Freezing level below valley bottom.

Thursday

Cloud increasing over the day. Moderate to strong southwest winds. No snowfall expected. Alpine highs around -5 °C. An above freezing layer around 2000 m is expected in far eastern terrain such as Kakwa.

Friday

Cloudy with flurries delivers up to 2 cm. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Freezing levels rise to 1500m. Alpine high of -2°C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud with moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels rise to 1000 m over the day. No snowfall expected.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind, once it starts to blow fresh sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • Be especially cautious near rock outcroppings, on steep convexities and anywhere the snowpack feels thinner than average.

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.