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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 25th, 2023–Dec 26th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Boundary, Stewart, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Choose mellow slopes and give the new snow time to stabilise. Look above you for steep terrain! Natural avalanches may run into flat areas below large features.

Happy holidays!

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Over the weekend, a few natural wind and storm slab avalanches were observed, size 1 to 2.5, on north and west aspects. Also, explosive avalanche control north of Stewart produced a few large avalanches within the storm snow.

If you head into the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Storm snow keeps piling up, with generally strong southerly winds building wind slabs in exposed leeward terrain. South facing slopes (windward), have likely been scoured by the strong winds or have dense, wind packed snow. At low elevations, storm snow overlies a surface crust from warm temperatures and rain.

A spotty layer of surface hoar can be found down 100 cm or more in sheltered terrain features at and below treeline. The distribution of this layer is not well known, and it may be getting too deep to be triggered by the weight of a human.

A layer of facets buried at the end of November can be found near the ground. The snowpack depth varies between 200 and 300 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy. 15 to 25 cm of snow expected. Strong southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level at valley bottom. Treeline temperature around -5 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy. 5-10 cm of snow expected. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level rises to 600 m. Treeline temperature around -3 °C.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow expected. Strong southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom, treeline temperatures around -7 °C.

Thursday

Mainly cloudy. 10-25 cm of snow expected Southeast winds, 40-60 km/h. Freezing levels rises to 750 m. Treeline temperatures around -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Minimize exposure during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
  • Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 30 cm of new snow.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Stick to simple terrain features and be certain your location isn't threatened by overhead hazard.

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.