Avalanche Forecast
Regions: North Okanagan, Shuswap, South Okanagan.
Look for areas where the surface snow is powdery and start with small and moderately steep slopes before considering bigger terrain.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A small skier triggered avalanche was reported in the alpine on a north east aspect on Monday.
Limited avalanche activity has been reported over the last 3 days. Avalanche activity may be ongoing in specific wind affected terrain with continued snowfall and strong wind, however, the expected size remains small.
Snowpack Summary
Alpine terrain is heavily wind-affected, while sheltered areas have settling snow from recent storms.
A mix of weak layers exist below, with facets, surface hoar, and crusts present. Neighbouring regions have reported avalanches on this layer, but no observations suggest it is an issue in this region. Additionally, mild temperatures may help the snowpack to gain strength.
Treeline snow depths vary from 50-140 cm.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Cloudy with 3 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with 3 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
- Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Avoid areas near ridgeline that feel "drum like" or hollow.
Aspects: North, North East, East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5