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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 18th, 2024–Mar 19th, 2024

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

Regions

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

Begin your day early and steer clear of avalanche terrain while daytime warming and sun effect weaken a supportive surface crust.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several large natural persistent slab or wet slab avalanches (up to size 3) have been reported since last Friday.

Pinwheeling and loose wet avalanche activity has been reported recently, primarily in steep south-facing terrain.

Snowpack Summary

A widespread melt-freeze crust exists on the surface. Expect the crust to deteriorate, and the surface snow to become moist at lower elevations and south-facing terrain throughout the day.

A layer of weak, faceted crystals over a crust, or surface hoar, remains the primary layer of concern, buried approximately 40 to 80 cm deep.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Partly cloudy. 0 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Tuesday

Increasing cloud throughout the day. 10 to 30 km/h east ridegtop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 40 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Thursday

Sunny. 10 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain as temperatures increase.

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.

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.