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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 22nd, 2024–Feb 23rd, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Cariboos, Blue River, Clearwater, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Clemina, North Monashee.

Look for changing conditions and signs of instability as you move through the mountains.

Slab size and sensitivity could increase throughout the day.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Only small dry loose avalanches in steep terrain have been reported in the past couple days.

We expect wind slab avalanches to be rider triggerable in areas that receive more than 10 cm on Friday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of new snow could accumulate throughout Friday. This will add to the 5 to 15 cm that has buried a variety of surfaces including surface hoar  and facets in sheltered terrain, a crust on south and west facing slopes as well as old wind slab on exposed terrain.

The widespread crust buried in early February is near the surface on exposed alpine terrain and down up to 45 cm elsewhere. In many areas this crust has a layer of facets above.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Clear skies. 15 to 35 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -4°C.

Friday

Cloudy with up to 10 cm of new snow. 40 to 70 km/h west alpine wind. Treeline temperature -4°C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of new snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -7°C.

Sunday

Cloudy with up to 25 cm of new snow. 30 to 60 km/h northwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -6°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Fresh wind slabs will likely form throughout the day, diligently watch for changing conditions.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.

Problems

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.

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.