Avalanche forecast

South Columbia

Jan 27 – 28, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Watch for storm snow settling into a more cohesive slab on steep southerly slopes where it covers a crust or shady sheltered slopes in open glades where it rests on surface hoar. Pillows of windslab are likely on N or E facing slopes behind ridges.

Confidence

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain on Tuesday

Weather Forecast

Synopsis: Northwesterly flow will bring a series of low-intensity pulses of precipitation interspersed with short-lived periods of clear weather to the region through the forecast period. Temperatures will start out fairly cool but rise through Tuesday and into Wednesday to become mild.Monday: Flurries. Treeline temperatures around -7C. Light westerly winds.Monday night: Light snowfall, around 5cm.Tuesday: Mainly dry during the day. Temperatures rising to a high of -2C at treeline elevations. Northwesterly winds, gusting to 30km/h at ridgetop.Wednesday: Light snowfall, up to 5cm. Treeline temperatures around 0C. Northwesterly winds gusting to 50km/h at ridgetop.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday and Friday, a relatively small natural avalanche cycle took place in the storm snow up to size 2 which ran on the January 23rd interface, mostly on N and E facing slopes. Over the weekend, only a couple of small slab avalanches on northerly aspects were reported.

Snowpack Summary

Approximately 30 to 50 cm of recent storm snow overlies a weak layer comprising of surface hoar in shady locations, facets at higher elevations and a sun crust on solar aspects. The recent new snow sitting above this interface has been slowly consolidating from fresh powder into a more cohesive slab. A mid-pack surface hoar layer buried in early January is down around 90 cm, and is best preserved below approximately 1700 m. A freezing rain crust has been reported near the surface (it may now be buried by light snow) in the Monashees, particularly in areas close to Mabel Lake.

Regions covered