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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 2nd, 2023–Feb 3rd, 2023

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Moyie, St. Mary.

Expect the wind to continue to build wind slabs and grown cornices at higher elevations.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Riders and explosives continue to trigger small (size 1 to 1.5) loose dry and wind slabs within the recent storm snow. Wind slabs may remain active in steep lee and cross-loaded terrain at higher elevations.

Continue to avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin, as these are the most likely areas to trigger deep weak layers.

Snowpack Summary

5 to 10 cm of recent soft snow has been blown into wind slabs in cross-loaded and lee terrain features from sustained southwest wind. This snow rests on small surface hoar crystals in wind-sheltered terrain. The surface hoar rests on previously wind-affected snow at higher elevations, faceted soft snow in wind-sheltered terrain, and a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes and below approximately 1800 m.

A surface hoar layer buried in early January is 40 to 80 cm deep. Its distribution is spotty, but it can still be found in wind-sheltered and shaded terrain features.

The lower snowpack contains weak and faceted grains.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy with no precipitation, 20 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -3 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, 20 to 30 km/h south wind, treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 15 cm, 20 to 40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -5 °C, freezing level 1000 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm, 20 km/h west wind, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to the presence of buried surface hoar.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

Problems

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.

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.