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

Jan 28th, 2023–Jan 29th, 2023

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.
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, Ningunsaw, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Recently formed wind slabs will linger in exposed alpine terrain. While numerous buried weak layers demand careful terrain selection.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the forecast region. However several wind slab avalanches, up to size 2, were reported on Friday in the neighboring costal region. All in alpine terrain on a variety of aspects and triggered by skiers, explosives, or naturally.

If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Recent strong winds have stripped northerly aspects in alpine terrain, redistributing the snow into wind slabs on lee, southerly terrain. While at lower elevations a widespread melt-freeze crust exists on the surface up to roughly 1900 m and is preventing the wind from transporting much snow. The crust continues to gain strength and is becoming supportive at most elevations.

In the mid and lower snowpack, a number of buried weak layers remain a concern. These layers are most concerning in shallow, rocky areas at treeline and alpine elevations.

Weather Summary

Saturday night

Clear, with no precipitation. Treeline temperatures -10 to -15 C. Moderate northeast alpine winds.

Sunday

Sunny, with no precipitation. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate northwest alpine winds. Potential for alpine temperature inversion.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud, with flurries, 2 to 5 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate to strong west alpine winds.

Tuesday

Cloudy with flurries, and trace snow amounts. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate to strong west alpine winds.

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.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.

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.