Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Northwest Inland.
Enough snow may be accumulating to form wind slabs at higher elevations. Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, cracking, and recent avalanches.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.
Weather Forecast
THURSDAY NIGHT: Scattered flurries with 5-10 cm of new snow, 30 km/h wind from the west, alpine high temperatures drop to -8 C.
FRIDAY: Isolated flurries with up to 5 cm of snow, light wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.
SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, 40 km/h wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -10 C.
Avalanche Summary
MIN reports from the weekend suggest there has been minimal avalanche activity over the past week. No significant activity is expected until sufficient snow buries the surface hoar layer that formed this week.
Snowpack Summary
Light accumulations of snow over the next few days will bury a concerning layer of surface hoar that has formed in areas sheltered from the wind (see photos in this MIN report). By Friday afternoon there could 10-20 cm of fresh snow above this layer, which is probably not enough to form a slab above this layer (except for deeper wind deposits). Reports suggest this surface hoar layer can be found on all aspects up to treeline elevations. In the alpine, new snow will bury hard wind slabs and sun crusts on south-facing terrain. Snowpack depths are 50-100 cm in alpine areas around Smithers, with depths diminishing rapidly below 1500 m. The relatively thin snowpack has likely caused soft weak snow to form near the ground, however triggering an avalanche on weak basal snow is unlikely under the current conditions.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent snow could be forming wind slabs in the alpine and near ridgetops.
Aspects: North, North East, East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2