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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 20th, 2023–Dec 21st, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

The forecast calls for light amounts of precipitation and a rise in the freezing level over the next few days. If the wind picks up, watch for fresh wind slab formation at upper elevations.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

There is no new avalanche activity to report.

If you do go into the backcountry, consider submitting a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

5-15 cm of new snow may be obscuring on previously wind-affected surfaces at higher elevations.

Two different surface hoar layers have been reported in the upper half of the snowpack and appear to be most prominent at treeline and below. Snowpack depth at treeline is 50 to 100 cm.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with 3-5 cm of snow, ridgetop winds southwest 15-30 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 500 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 4 to 10 cm of snow, ridgetop wind south and southwest 20-50 km/h, treeline temperature -3 °C, freezing level 1000 m

Friday

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow, ridgetop wind southwest west 30-50 km/h, treeline temperature -1 °C, freezing level 500 m.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud with a chance of flurries, ridgetop wind west 15-25 km/h, treeline temperatures -4 °C, Freezing level at valley bottom.

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.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

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.