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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2023–Dec 17th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

New wind slabs continue to bury weak layers creating a complex avalanche hazard.

Watch for signs of instability throughout the day and stick to low-consequence terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A size 1.5 storm slab avalanche was triggered by a skier on Thursday near Terrace. This avalanche failed on buried surface hoar, 30 cm deep from a feature near ridge crest.

On Wednesday, a large avalanche cycle occurred. Natural and explosive triggered avalanches avalanches, up to size 3, were reported throughout the region. These avalanches mostly occurred on lee slopes or lee features. One of these avalanches was reported to have failed on buried surface hoar, 50 cm deep.

Snowpack Summary

By the end of the day Sunday, up to another 15 cm of new snow will arrive. This new snow will be redistributed by southwest winds. This will be added to the 20 to 45 cm of snow that fell earlier in the week which was also accompanied by strong south and southwesterly winds.

A buried layer of weak, feathery surface hoar crystals can now be found 25 to 50 cm deep. While another layer of buried surface hoar may exist deeper in the snowpack, roughly 55 to 95 cm below the surface.

The remaining mid and lower snowpack contains several crusts from early in the season that are generally well-bonded to the surrounding snowpack.

Currently, the height of snow is highly variable and decreases significantly at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Clear with cloudy periods, potential trace accumulation, ridgetop winds southerly 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C. 

Sunday

Cloudy, 7 to 14 cm accumulation, ridgetop winds southwest 30 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday

Cloudy, 5 cm, ridgetop winds southerly light gusting to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy, 10 cm accumulation, ridgetop winds southerly 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.

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.