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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 26th, 2025–Feb 27th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Remain alert and test small, low-consequence features to assess how weak layers are bonding.

Retreat to more conservative terrain if you encounter any signs of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Tues: There were numerous large (size 2-2.5) avalanches with natural, explosive, & human triggers across the region.

Mon: Many size 1-2.5 natural & human triggered avalanches were reported. Two were remote-triggered.

Sun: A large (up to size 3) natural avalanche cycle was reported in the region on all aspects in the alpine and treeline.

Looking forward: Evidence indicates storm slabs and persistent weak layers remain primed for human triggering.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 50 cm of accumulated settling storm snow sits over a thin crust on sun-exposed slopes and surface hoar or facets in wind-sheltered areas. A surface crust or moist snow may be found up to 1700 m.

Layers from dry conditions in January are found at varying depths within the upper 100 cm of snow. These include weak faceted snow, sun crusts on south-facing slopes, and surface hoar in shaded terrain.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy. 40 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 2200 m falling to 1500 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow, highest amounts for the McBride area. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Saturday

Partly cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 25 to 35 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.