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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 22nd, 2024–Mar 23rd, 2024

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Watch for the crust breaking down with strong sun and warm days.

The search for dry snow may draw you to north facing alpine terrain, be aware buried weak layers may remain reactive here.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Thursday. Widespread wet avalanche activity occurred previously during the warmer temperatures (photo below).

Whumpfs (a collapse of the buried weak layer), and test results still indicate that triggering the persistent weak layer is possible in specific features.

If you go into the backcountry, please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A thick melt-freeze crust sits on the surface in most areas, except for high north-facing alpine slopes where dry snow may still exist. This crust may soften throughout the day at lower elevations and south-facing slopes.  At lower elevations, the snow below the crust is likely moist or wet to ground. 

A layer of weak, faceted crystals overlying a crust, remains a lingering concern for human triggering at upper elevations, buried approximately 30 to 60 cm deep.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Clear skies. 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom.

Saturday

Sunny. 20-30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1°C. Freezing level 1500 m. Overnight refreeze expected.

Sunday

Sunny. 10-20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2°C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m. Overnight refreeze expected.

Monday

Sunny with afternoon cloud. 10-20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.