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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2023–Dec 17th, 2023

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

Regions

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

Mild temperatures could increase the reactivity of buried weak layers to human triggers. Stick to simple terrain and minimise overhead hazard.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region.The buried surface hoar layers show continued reactivity in snowpack testing.

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

Snowpack Summary

Warm temperatures and sun may moisten the surface snow and break down crusts likely formed overnight. A widespread crust is buried around 10-20 cm deep, under wind affected snow.

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. These layers may become reactive to human triggers during the warming.

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

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy with possible flurries. Light and variable winds. Freezing levels remain around 1000 m.

Sunday

Partly cloudy with no snowfall. Southwest winds, 20-40 km/h. Freezing levels reach 1000 m with treeline temperatures around -2 °C. An above freezing layer is expected in in the afternoon, from 2000-3000 m.

Monday

Partly cloud with no snowfall. Southwest winds 20-40 km/h. Freezing levels remain at 1000 m with treeline temperatures around -2 °C. The above freezing layer remains, from 1500-2500 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with light snow. Southwest winds, 20-40 km/h. Freezing levels remain around 1000 m.

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.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger 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.

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.