Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 4th, 2018 5:08PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs and Loose Wet.

mbender, Avalanche Canada

Northwest Coastal.

Warm temperatures reach up into the alpine with a layer of cold air sandwiched in the middle. As a result, forecast precipitation may come in as a combination of rain, snow (high alpine) and/or freezing rain.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries Friday, overnight Thursday into Friday rain, freezing rain or snow (5-10cm above 1900m) / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -2 SATURDAY: Flurries / moderate south wind / Alpine temperature -5 SUNDAY: Cloudy with flurries / Light northeast wind / Alpine temperature -3

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche activity has been reported as thin storm slab avalanches to size 1 along with isolated wind slab avalanches on east aspects in the alpine and at tree line.

Snowpack Summary

10-20cm of new snow has fallen throughout the region so far in the new year. Recent above freezing temperatures up to1400m has settled the recent new snow rapidly and begun to build a thin storm slab. Above tree line the new snow has been redistributed by primarily southerly winds. There are some lingering wind slabs, found on a variety of old surfaces including a thick melt-freeze crust that formed in mid-December. Cornices have also been noted at ridge tops, with strong north east winds last week. In non-wind affected terrain, 20-40 cm of faceted (sugary) snow overlies the mid-December crust layer.Beneath the mid-December crust the snowpack is reported to be generally strong with the possible exception of areas around Stewart and northern parts of the region where the late-October, basal crust can be found near the base of the snowpack. Weak sugary faceted snow may exist around this deeply buried crust and could be triggered from shallow snowpack areas.

Problems

Wind Slabs

New snow combined with southerly winds and warm temperatures will have created wind slabs in the lee of terrain features.

Be cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Loose Wet

Overnight precipitation Thursday into Friday may come in as rain and/or freezing rain. Where the precipitation falls as rain, the surface snow will weaken and sluff in steep terrain.

Be cautious of sluffing in steep terrain, particularly where the debris flows into terrain traps.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: All elevations.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Jan 5th, 2018 2:00PM