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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 13th, 2023–Jan 14th, 2023

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Hazard will improve as precipitation stops and freezing levels lower throughout the day.

The storm brought a mix of rain and snow to higher elevations. As you transition into dry snow and wind-blown areas watch for cohesive storm slabs that are reactive to human triggering.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, numerous size one wet loose avalanches were reported on all aspects below 1700 m.

Backcountry users should expect to see evidence of a natural avalanche cycle from within the storm at all elevations.

Please post your observations and photos to the Mountain Information Network. It helps strengthen our data gathering.

Snowpack Summary

+15 cm storm snow and moderate southerly winds have built storm slabs where snow remained dry. New snow overlies previously wind-affected surfaces on south and east-facing slopes. Below treeline, the snowpack is thoroughly saturated.

The mid-snowpack is well-settled. The lower snowpack consists of several crusts with weak faceted crystals above and below that are beginning to heal and bond to each other.

Snowpack depths are roughly 145 to 185 cm at treeline and taper rapidly below 1500 m.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Periods of rain and snow continue, 5-10 mm. Winds will ease to southerly 40 km/h. Ridgetop low-temperature +1 C. Freezing levels will slowly fall to near 1500 m by Saturday morning.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated wet flurries, trace accumulation. Southeast winds of 40 to 60 km/h. Ridgetop high-temperature +2 C. Freezing levels will be near 1500 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Light variable winds gusting 20 km/h. Ridgetop high-temperature +3 C. Freezing levels 1700 m.

Monday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Light variable winds gusting 20 km/h. Ridgetop high-temperature 0 C. Freezing levels 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 20 cm of new snow.
  • Carefully monitor the bond between the new snow and old surface.
  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.

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.

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.