Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Northwest Inland.
Strong gusty winds will redistribute new flurries and older, recent snow. More reactive deposits are likely found in the alpine and near ridgetop.
Confidence
Low - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
Weather Forecast
Sunday Night: Flurries, 5-10 cm accumulating overnight. Alpine temperature -6 C. Southwest wind 25-30 with gusts to 80 km/hr.
Monday: Flurries and snow, 5-10 cm. Alpine temperature -1 C. Southwest wind 30 gusting to 60 km/hr. Freezing level 1100 m.
Tuesday: Snow, 10-20 cm. Alpine temperature -3 C. Southwest wind 25 gusting to 80 km/hr. Freezing level 1100 m.
Wednesday: Snow and flurries, 10-30 cm. Alpine temperature -3 C. South wind 20 gusting to 60 km/hr. Freezing level 1000 m.
Avalanche Summary
There have been no recent reports of avalanche activity.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 10 cm new snow is expected to bury the 10-20 cm of recent fresh snow. Strong south-southwesterly winds will encourage slab development, especially in places with deeper deposits.
This new and recent snow may now cover a concerning layer of surface hoar that formed in areas sheltered from the wind. Reports suggest this layer can be found on all aspects up into treeline. In the alpine, the snow has buried hard wind slabs and/or 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 weak faceted snow to form near the ground.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Flurries overnight will build on recent fresh snow. Expect new snow to be more touchy in areas with deeper deposits and where wind has encouraged slab development. At treeline, these slabs may be sitting on a recently buried weak layer of surface hoar.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2