Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Jan 4 – 5, 2016Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map

Highlights

Buried surface hoar from mid December continues to be a concern in parts of the region. Dig down to identify if this is a concern in your area.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Thin wind slabs may continue to develop due to forecast new snow and wind. Southeast winds may create some reverse loading in the alpine.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–4
    Buried weak layers of surface hoar may be triggered by human activity. This problem is more likely in the area west of Kimberley, but may be found in shallow snowpack areas across the region.

Confidence

High

Weather Forecast

Overcast with freezing levels at valley bottoms for the duration of the forecast. Light south or southeast winds and alpine temperatures around -7 during the days. Some flurries or light snow falls with little accumulation expected. The south of the region may see a bit more snow, but probably total snowfall of 5-10 cm.

Avalanche Summary

Some loose snow avalanches continue to be reported from steep alpine terrain. Last week several large avalanches were skier triggered in the southern Purcells, west of Kimberly, on buried surface hoar. Something to keep in mind when looking for new lines!

Snowpack Summary

Conditions are quite variable throughout the region. In the southern Purcells, (west of Kimberley), a prominent layer of buried surface hoar has shown to be reactive to human triggers. In this part of the region, it's buried down 40 cm with a cohesive slab above it. Further north, this surface hoar layer is 60-120 cm down and has been sporadically reactive to skiers, most recently on north-west facing alpine slopes near Golden. At alpine elevations, this interface exists as a surface hoar/facet layer sitting on a crust. The lower snowpack is generally considered to be well settled. Solar aspects may now have sun crust from the recent warm temperatures. New and old wind slabs may be found in the lee of ridges and ribs on a variety of slopes, and surface hoar is forming in protected cool areas.

Regions covered