Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 24th, 2023–Dec 25th, 2023

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Carefully assess conditions as you gain elevation. In wind exposed terrain above the freezing line, wind slabs are possible.

At low elevations, expect a new breakable crust to begin to form.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported before 4pm on Sunday.

If you're heading out in the backcountry, please consider sharing any observations on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Saturday night's clear, cold spell caused widespread surface hoar at treeline and alpine elevations. The approaching storm is expected to bury this, raising concerns about a potential new layer. The recent storm delivered a range of snow depths, spanning from 10 to 20 cm and covers old wind slabs and crusts in the alpine, and wet surfaces at treeline and below.

At treeline and above two layers of note are buried around 30 to 70 cm deep. Both consist of a crust that tapers at higher elevations, and surface hoar in sheltered areas.

Overall, the snow depth remains shallow, with average treeline snowpack depths between 70 and 100 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Periods of clearing. No new snow expected. Treeline temperature around 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1000 m. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind.

Monday

Cloudy. Snow and rain expected to begin in the pm 5 to 10 cm . Freezing level rising to 1200-1500 m. Treeline temperature around 0 °C. Moderate gusting strong, south east ridgetop wind.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. Snow and rain expected to cease in the am 10 to 20 cm. Freezing level around 1500 m. Treeline low around -1°C. Strong gusting extreme, south east ridgetop wind.

Wednesday

Periods of clearing. No new snow expected. Treeline temperature around 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m. Moderate south ridgetop wind.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

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.