Avalanche Forecast

Poor - Due to the number of field observations

Overview: There is a brief lull in the weather this weekend before a series of strong frontal systems cross the province early next week. The first system should arrive on Monday bringing moderate amounts of precipitation (15-25 mm) - heaviest in the North Columbia regions. Freezing levels will likely be between 1000 and 1500m and ridge winds could be strong from the southwest. The next even stronger system arrives shortly after but appears to be taking a more southerly route. Recent model runs are showing this system south of the border. If this is the case we will probably only see light to moderate accumulations and not much change in freezing levels.

Currently there are no recent avalanche reports, however; there is enough snow at higher elevations (treeline and alpine) where certain avalanche problems may exist.

Welcome to winter! It's that time of year where winter is slowing winding up and observations are limited. Recent reports suggest that the total snowpack in the alpine is 60-100 cm, and maybe deeper in some areas. Pockets of wind slab are likely on exposed leeward slopes at upper elevations. 20-30 cm of new snow could be sitting on a weak layer of surface hoar or a crust. Another weak layer (crust, surface hoar, facets) may be lurking down 30-50cm deep. The bond at both of these interfaces could be poor and deserves further investigation. A solid crust that formed early November can be found 30-40cm above the ground in many places at treeline and above. The new snow will hide early season hazards like crevasses, rocks, and stumps and gaining access to upper elevations is extremely challenging.