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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2026–Jan 7th, 2026

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Watch for new and reactive wind slabs

Widespread, persistent weak layers remain a concern. Avoid exposure to large, open features, including overhead hazard.

Confidence

Low

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
  • Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Avalanche Summary

We expect natural wind and persistent slab avalanches have likely occurred with warming, strong winds and new snow stressing the snowpack.

If you head into the mountains, please share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

By Wednesday afternoon, storm totals are expected to reach 45 cm in White Pass, tapering to 10-15 cm elsewhere. This sits over 40-65 cm of heavily wind-affected snow. The primary concern remains the 70-100 cm of weak facets that make up the lower snowpack.

Snowpack depths vary widely due to wind, but average around 160 cm across the region.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 40-60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 30-50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 10-30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.

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.