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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 24th, 2024–Mar 25th, 2024

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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Back off of steep slopes if the snow becomes overly wet or slushy in the heat of the day.

While dry snow may remain on north-facing alpine features, weak layers may be possible to trigger there.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported. Widespread avalanche activity occurred last week during the warmer temperatures. Smaller wet avalanches may be possible during periods of sun and warming.

Whumpfing (a collapse of the buried weak layer), was reported by our field team at the Seaton area last Friday, indicating that triggering the persistent weak layer may still be possible in isolated areas.

Snowpack Summary

A thick melt-freeze crust sits on the surface in most areas, except for high north-facing alpine slopes where some soft dry snow may still exist. The surface crust may soften throughout the day at lower elevations and on steep sunny slopes.  At lower elevations, the snow below the crust is likely moist or wet to ground. 

A weak layer of surface hoar is developing on the surface in shady areas at treeline and above.

A layer of weak, faceted crystals overlying a crust, remains a lingering concern for human triggering at upper elevations, buried 40-80 cm deep.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly clear. 15 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature dropping to -3 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

Monday

Sunny with afternoon cloud. 15 km/h westerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rising to 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud with 0 to 2 cm of new snow possible overnight. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rising to 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy with a trace of new snow possible. 30 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rising to -1°C. Freezing level rising to 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.