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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2023–Mar 29th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

The sun will be out for extended periods and the freezing level is forecast to be higher than it has been in the past few days. As a result there may be an increase in wet loose avalanche activity on steep terrain facing the sun.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Recent reports include a few wet loose avalanches to size 1.5 and 2 in the alpine on solar aspects.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snow accumulated over the past week overlies a crust on all terrain except north-facing slopes treeline and above. On these high northerly slopes, soft snow may overlie facets and surface hoar to mountain tops.

The remainder of the mid-snowpack is generally strong. The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. This layer remains a concern for human triggering in rocky, shallow, or thin-to-thick snowpack areas at treeline and above. Small avalanches and cornice falls also have the potential to trigger this deep layer.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly clear. Light northeast wind. High of -8 °C at treeline. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. Light northeast wind. High of 0 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1900m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. Light northeast wind. High of -1 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1800m.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with scattered flurries. Light southwest wind. High of -3 °C at treeline. Freezing level 1600m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.