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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 22nd, 2024–Mar 23rd, 2024

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Esplanade, Jordan, North Selkirk, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Retallack, Whatshan.

Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.

If a thick surface crust is present, large slab avalanches are unlikely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, a variety of human and naturally triggered avalanches were observed in the region. Most were smaller wind slabs (in the 1 to 1.5 range) with some larger persistent and loose wet avalanches.

On Wednesday, several large persistent and wet avalanches were reported, up to size 3. These avalanches are the tail end of a widespread, large natural avalanche cycle.

Snowpack Summary

There is up to 10 cm of soft snow on shady north and east-facing slopes in some parts of the region. At ridgetops, this new snow may have been blown around creating wind slabs on lee slopes. The recent snow sits on a crust at upper elevations, and the crust is expected to be at the surface below 1500 m and on sunny south and west-facing slopes.

Two layers of surface hoar and sun crust can be found in the top meter of the snowpack.

A widespread crust formed in early February is buried about 80 to 150 cm deep. This crust has a layer of facets above it, producing the previous large, natural avalanche cycle.Check out this great MIN for detailed info on snowpack conditions near Revelstoke.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with a trace of new snow possible. 15 km/h east ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around -1 °C.

Saturday

Partly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of new snow. 30 km/h east ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature high of 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1900 m.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. 20 - 30 km/h north ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature high of -4 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud. 15 km/h south west ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature high of - 2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

Problems

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.

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.