Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 16th, 2019 5:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
cgarritty,
Avalanche Canada
The region is split north to south. Dismal snow cover and isolated alpine wind slabs are likely in found in the north while hefty recent storm snow amounts are balancing on a nasty weak layer in the south. Use this forecast as your starting point for gathering local observations.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Uncertainty is due to extremely variable snowpack conditions reported through the region.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY NIGHT - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Moderate to strong southwest winds.
TUESDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures near -3
WEDNESDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light to moderate south winds. Alpine high temperatures near -5.
THURSDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. Light south winds. Alpine high temperatures around -6.
Avalanche Summary
Observations are limited in this region, though there was a MIN report of several small human triggered avalanches around the Coquihalla Summit area on Saturday. Click here to read the report.
In the south, there was likely a natural avalanche cycle on Thursday and Friday. By Sunday morning, there was up to 60 cm of new snow, which means that the potential for human triggered avalanches remains elevated.
In the northern part of the region: There have been no avalanches reported in recent days. There may be isolated pockets of wind slab and/or storm slab at higher elevations that could be triggered by humans.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack conditions vary greatly from north to south within the South Coast Inland region.
In the south, near the Coquihalla, up to 60 cm of recent fresh snow snow likely sits on a weak layer of surface hoar. Previous strong winds have likely formed storm slabs that may be reactive to human triggers. The middle of the snowpack contains a mix of hard crusts and facet/crust layers. Snowpack depths at treeline are about 100-150 cm.
In the north, near the Duffey Lake area the recent storm only brought about 10-15 cm of new snow, which is now sitting on an already very thin snowpack. Snowpack depths at treeline are about 40-50 cm.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Conditions are highly varied from north to south within the region.
In the south, up to 50 cm of new snow likely sits on a weak layer of surface hoar. Storm slabs may still be reactive, especially in wind loaded areas.
In the north, new snow amounts are closer to 10 cm. There may still be small pockets of storm slabs that could be triggered by humans at higher elevations.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 17th, 2019 3:30PM
