Avalanche forecast

Cariboos

Jan 26 – 27, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–6
    Wind slabs continue to build behind ridges and terrain breaks. Areas that avalanched earlier this week may re-load as the storm continues.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–6
    Storm slabs continue to build above buried weak layers. Warming and snowfall this weekend will increase the storm slab problem.

Confidence

Fair - Timing of incoming weather is uncertain

Weather Forecast

Friday: Cloudy with flurries. Freezing level near valley floor. Light to moderate winds.Saturday: Light to moderate snow. Freezing level rising to 700m by evening. Strong to gale westerly winds. Sunday: Moderate (locally heavy) precipitation with the freezing level climbing to 1500m by afternoon. Strong to gale westerly winds.

Avalanche Summary

A few natural avalanches, up to size 2, were observed in steep lee (wind-loaded) terrain on Wednesday. Whumphing was observed below treeline.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 80cm of snow has fallen since Monday. Strong winds have created hard slabs, soft slabs and fragile cornices. The freezing level went up to about 1000 metres early Wednesday morning. Snowpack tests give easy to moderate results on several layers in the upper snowpack. Key concerns as further snow builds this weekend include a weak facet layer that was created during the brutal cold snap in mid-January and a buried crust.

Regions covered