Avalanche Forecast

Low - Due to the number of field observations

Up to 15mm of precipitation is forecast for Wednesday night with another 3-5cm of snow expected on Thursday. Ridgetop winds will remain extreme from the southwest while freezing levels will drop throughout the day from 1600m to about 1000m. On Friday and Saturday the region will see light flurries, significantly decreased winds and freezing levels around 700m.

There are very few recent observations from the region. Light to locally moderate amounts of new snow and extreme southwest winds likely sparked a new round of wind slab activity. Rain may have also promoted loose wet avalanche activity at treeline and below.

Since Monday night light amounts of new snow fell in the mountains around Smithers while closer to 25 cm fell in areas further west. Strong to extreme winds have likely redistributed much of this new snow into reactive wind slabs at higher elevations while surfaces at treeline and below are likely now moist due to rising freezing levels during the system. There is a notable persistent weakness of buried surface hoar in many places, generally found between 30 and 70 cm deep. Wind and milder temperatures may have helped to promote slab development in the snow overlying this interface. In other areas, rain may have destroyed the layer. Stay tuned to signs of instability like recent avalanches, whumpfing, and shooting cracks. The mid pack that was reported to be well settled may have now facetted in the shallower areas, and the deeper basal layers are almost certainly facetted and weak.