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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 24th, 2023–Jan 25th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sasquatch.

An above-freezing layer is promoting the settling of the upper snowpack at alpine and treeline through the day. Watch for increased signs of instability such as natural avalanches as stability deteriorates with warm temperatures.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in the region on Monday.

On Sunday, a few natural windslab avalanches were observed in the region. The largest was a size 2.5 on a north-northeasterly slope at 2100 m.

On Saturday, reports were limited to a few explosives cornice releases to size 2 and thin size 1 wind and storm slab releases in steep alpine terrain.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of storm snow has been redistributed by moderate winds, into deeper deposits in wind-affected terrain features. This sits over 50 cm of settling snow at higher elevations, tapering rapidly with elevation due to the recent warm temperatures.

Below 1600m new snow may sit directly on a thick melt freeze crust which is helping to strengthen the snowpack.

The lower snowpack is still being monitored by professionals. The late December crust is down 70 to 120 cm. This crust can be found in the alpine but is thin and breakable. Near the base of the snowpack, there is a weak facet/crust layer that formed in mid-November. Although unlikely, there remains a concern for large loads (e.g. cornice failure) to trigger or riders to trigger these layers in thin spots. In general, the current snowpack is thinner and weaker than is typical.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly cloudy. Northwesterly ridge top winds 15-20 km/h. 1500m temperature low of -2C.

An above freezing layer develops from 1500 - 2500 m by morning. 

Wednesday

Sunny with cloudy periods. Northwesterly ridge top winds 15 km/h gusting to 40 km/h. 1500m temperature high of +2C. The above freezing layer is present between 1500-2800 m and remains elevated overnight.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud. Northwesterly ridge top winds 15 km/h gusting to 40 km/h. 1500m temperature high of +2C. The above freezing layer is present between 1500-2500m.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud. Northwesterly ridge top winds 20 km/h. 1500m temperature high of -2C. Freezing levels 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Cornices become weak with daytime heating or solar exposure.

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.

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.