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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 27th, 2024–Dec 28th, 2024

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.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Seek out areas with soft powder snow on the surface.

Recent snow will be more likely to avalanche in terrain that has been affected by wind.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday and Friday, the recent snow resulted in several small explosive and rider triggered avalanches in the alpine and at treeline.

Snowpack Summary

Alpine terrain is heavily wind-affected, while sheltered areas have settling snow from recent storms.

A layer of facets, surface hoar, and/or crusts buried in early December is 50-70 cm deep. No avalanches have been reported on this layer so far. It's possible that the recent mild temperatures helped it bond to the rest of the snowpack.

Treeline snow depths vary from 50-140 cm.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with 3 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy with up to 3 cm of snow. 10 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday

Partly cloudy with 1 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.

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.