Avalanche Forecast

Low - Due to the number of field observations on Friday

Light snowfall is expected for Saturday afternoon with 2-4 cm expected in the Duffy and up to 10 cm expected for the Coquihalla. Alpine wind is forecast to be moderate to strong from the northwest and treeline temperatures are expected to be around -10C. A mix of sun and cloud is forecast for Sunday with moderate to strong northeast winds and treeline temperatures around -15C. Sunny conditions are currently forecast for Monday with moderate outflow winds continuing and treeline temperatures falling close to -20C.

On Thursday during the storm, natural storm slabs up to size 2.5 were observed in the Duffey Lake area. These avalanches were reported to be releasing from steep terrain features, gullies, and slopes exposed to cross loading from wind. On Saturday, storm slabs remain an isolated concern but wind loaded areas are expected to be the main area of concern. Strong alpine winds were from the south at the start of the storm on Thursday and were from the west by the end of the storm. Winds on Saturday are now coming from the north. As a result, wind slabs should be expected on all aspects in wind affected terrain.

25-45 cm of low density snow accumulated during the storm on Thursday. This brings the total storm snow amounts since Monday to 60-80 cm. Below the new snow from this week lies the Boxing Day interface which consisted of wind affected surfaces, faceted (sugary) snow, or surface hoar. The surface hoar has been observed up to 5 mm in size in the Duffey Lake area. A thin crust may also exist in the upper snowpack and was reported around Coquihalla area last weekend. Recent strong winds have been from a variety of directions and have been loading leeward and cross loaded features in wind exposed terrain. The mid-December interface is now down over 1 m and is generally considered to be stable in the region.