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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 15th, 2023–Dec 16th, 2023

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

Regions

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

Small but reactive wind slabs may linger around ridgelines and rollovers.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region.

The buried surface hoar layers show continued reactivity in snowpack testing. However the last avalanches on these layers were reported last weekend.

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

Snowpack Summary

15 cm of wind effected storm snow in the northern half of the region tapers to 5 cm in the Duffey. The overlies variable surfaces including surface hoar in sheltered areas and a crust at lower elevations.

At treeline and above, two layers of concern exist, buried around 30 and 50 cm deep. Both layers consist of a crust that tapers at higher elevations covered by a layer of fragile surface hoar in sheltered areas. No recent avalanche activity has been reported on these layers but they continue to be reactive in snowpack tests.

The snowpack remains shallow for the time of year. Snowpack depths at treeline range from 80 to 120 cm.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snowfall. Freezing levels sit around 900 m. Southwest winds continue, 30-60 km/h.

Saturday

Partly cloudy with possible flurries. Westerly winds winds 20-50 km/h. Freezing levels reach 1000 m with treeline temperatures around -2 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy with no snowfall. Light and variable winds. Freezing levels reach 1000 m with treeline temperatures around -2 °C. An above freezing layer may begin to impact this region in the afternoon, from 2000-3000 m.

Monday

Mostly sunny with no snowfall. Southwest winds 20-40 km/h. Freezing levels reach 1000 m with treeline temperatures around -2 °C. The above freezing layer deepens, from 1500-3000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

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