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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 21st, 2025–Feb 22nd, 2025

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Jordan, North Selkirk, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

7:00 AM update: Dangerous avalanche conditions will exist with the arrival of new snow, mild temperatures, and increasing wind.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Recently, several small avalanches (size 1 to 1.5) have been reported throughout the region, natural and human-triggered. A prevailing trend is persistent slab avalanches, primarily on southerly-facing aspects, ranging from 20 to 50 cm in depth, while wind slabs have occurred on northerly-facing terrain, typically 20 to 30 cm deep.

With more snow, wind, and warm temperatures in the forecast, we anticipate natural avalanche activity to increase in the coming days.

Snowpack Summary

New snow continues to accumulate atop layers of surface hoar in sheltered terrain and a thin crust on sun-affected slopes, approximately 30 to 50 cm below the surface.

Below these layers, the upper snowpack is largely faceted and poorly bonded with another layer of surface hoar in sheltered terrain and a thin crust on sun-affected slopes. This layer, buried in late January, varies in depth but generally exists within the upper 100 cm of snow.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Avalanche danger is expected to increase throughout the day.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.