Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 29th, 2024–Jan 30th, 2024

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 possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

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.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Start on small slopes, and check for signs of instability before committing to steep or high-consequence terrain.

Riding conditions and avalanche problems will change with elevation.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, numerous large (up to size 2) naturally triggered avalanches were reported across the forecast area in steep, north and east-facing alpine terrain.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, we expect that natural avalanches will be less likely, but human-triggered avalanches will remain possible.

Snowpack Summary

Freezing levels drop and 10 -15 cm of new snow is expected in the alpine. Treeline will see shallower, denser snow, and rain continues below treeline. This falls on a mostly moist or wet upper snowpack. except for high alpine elevations where deeper dry snow may still be found.

Storm snow amounts over the last week have varied across the region, generally 25-40 cm. On north and east faces storm slabs may be thicker due to recent winds. The storm snow may be poorly bonded to a crust formed in early January that extends up to treeline elevations.

Two deeper surface hoar layers exist. These layers have become dormant and unlikely to trigger.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy. 10-15 cm of snow expected above 1250 m. Moderate southeast ridgetop wind trending to strong southwest by the morning. Treeline temperature around 0 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy. Trace of snow above 1250 m. Strong to extreme southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around 0°C.

Wednesday

Cloudy. Light snow in the morning turning to light rain below 1750 m in the afternoon. Strong southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around 2 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow expected above 1500 m. Moderate south or southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around 1 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
Loose avalanches may start small but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.

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.