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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 6th, 2019–Dec 7th, 2019

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

Regions

South Coast Inland.

The big dump keeps us waiting... 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY NIGHT: Up to 5 cm of new snow, 40 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine temperatures around -1 C, freezing level at 1500 m

SATURDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods, up to 5 cm of new snow, 30 km/h wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -2 C, freezing level at 1600 m.

SUNDAY: Mainly sunny, 30 km/h wind from the north, alpine high temperatures around +1 C, freezing level around 1300 m.

MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, no precipitation, 30 km/h wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around +4 C, freezing level around 2500 m.

Avalanche Summary

Minimal avalanche activity has been reported over the past week. Some parts of the region may have received enough new snow over the past few days to form slabs at higher elevations. The greatest concern is in wind affected terrain and where the storm snow sits on smooth surfaces (such as glaciers, rock slabs, and areas that already have enough snow to cover rocks and shrubs).

Snowpack Summary

Yet again less snow has made its way into the South Coast Inland region than areas closer to the coast. The expected 5 cm on Friday night will bring recent storm totals to about 25 cm for most parts of the region. 

Snowpack depths remain quite thin throughout the region. Current snowpack depths are around 50 cm at upper treeline elevations, with many rocks and trees sticking out at lower elevations. In the alpine you can find slightly deeper areas where wind has formed hard wind slabs.

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.