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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 8th, 2023–Jan 9th, 2023

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Be wary of triggering buried weak layers in rocky or wind loaded features where the snowpack varies from thick to to thin. Check out the new Forecasters' Blog for more details on managing our challenging snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the region. However, there have been several recent reports of large human-triggered avalanches in neighboring regions with a similar snowpack structure.

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

Snowpack Summary

A dusting of new snow falls over a well-settled upper snowpack. A small layer of surface hoar, rime crust or sun crust may be found near the surface. Southerly winds are redistributing surface snow into wind loaded features at upper elevations. New wind slabs may sit over the layer of surface hoar and/or crust.

The mid snowpack consists of settling snow and several crusts that may be breaking down. A layer of large and weak facets sits in the bottom of the snowpack, buried in November. This layer is concerning, but harder to trigger based on its depth.

Snowpack depth is roughly 150 cm at treeline. This year's snowpack is weaker than usual, as described in our Forecasters' blog.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Up to 5 cm new snow. Moderate southerly wind easing by morning. Alpine low of -6 °C. Freezing level 500 m.

Monday

Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Light to moderate southerly wind. Alpine high of -3 °C. Freezing level 500-800 m.

Tuesday

Skies clearing into the afternoon. Light southerly winds. Alpine highs of -4 °C. Freezing level 500-800 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Light to moderate southerly winds. Alpine high of -5 °C. Freezing level 500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

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.