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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 18th, 2023–Dec 19th, 2023

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

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Tetrahedron, Harrison-Fraser.

Back off steep slopes when the snow surface feels wet. Wet loose avalanches are possible due to sustained high freezing levels and rain.

New wind slab could form in the alpine.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in this region.

If you do head into the backcountry please submit any observations and or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

New precipitation could fall as snow in the alpine and upper treeline. This new snow could form wind slab near ridge crests in the alpine. Below treeline the snow surface will likely be moist.

The mid and lower snowpack is made up of a series of crusts and rounded grains. The snowpack is generally well consolidated.

Overall, the snow depth remains shallow, creating challenging travel conditions and hiding early season hazards just below the snow surface.

 

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with 15 to 25 mm of mixed precipitation expected, southeast alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 2300 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 5 to 20 mm of mixed precipitation expected, southeast alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 2500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 mm of mixed precipitation expected, southeast alpine wind 10 to 30 km/h, freezing level around 2200 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud with light rain possible, southeast alpine wind 20 to 50 km/h, freezing level around 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Keep in mind that wet avalanches can be destructive due to their high density.
  • Be cautious of buried obstacles especially below treeline.

Problems

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.

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.