Regions
Northwest Inland.
Assess local conditions carefully and use extra caution on wind affected slopes.
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
The North will remain cold and snow free as the arctic air mass dominates the region bringing the coldest temperatures of the season and strong outflow winds. Alpine temperatures near -17 with the inversion. Ridgetop winds will blow moderate from the East and a mix of sun and cloud. An approaching low pressure system off the South coast will arrive Thursday and mostly affect the southern part of the province.
Avalanche Summary
No new reports on Tuesday, however; check out the new MIN report for the Miller Ck/ Crater Lk area. That report indicated a natural size 2 slab avalanche which appeared to be a cornice failure in steep complex terrain. The avalanche was noted from a southeast aspect at 1850. The crown was 20-30 cm thick, 60 m wide and running up to 300 m in length.
Snowpack Summary
Switching winds from the northeast may reverse load slopes, forming new atypical wind slabs that could catch you by surprise. A layer of surface hoar was reported around Hudson Bay Mountain last week, which now sits beneath 40-50 cm of settling snow. A thick rain crust that formed in early November is now buried 50-60 cm deep, and recent snowpack tests produced sudden results on facets (sugary snow) above this crust. Early season snowpack observations are still very limited in the region, but reports suggest the average snowpack depth is 50-90 cm at treeline and 120 cm or greater in the alpine.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.