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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 25th, 2017–Dec 26th, 2017

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

Regions

Cariboos.

Keep seeking out soft, unconsolidated snow. Slab formation remains the critical factor for avalanche danger under present conditions. Plan on more conservative terrain selection at mid-elevations.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Tuesday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries bringing a trace of new snow. Light southwest winds. Alpine temperatures around -15.Wednesday: Cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace to 3 cm of new snow. Light southwest winds. Alpine temperatures around -17.Thursday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace to 3 cm of new snow. Light northwest winds. Alpine temperatures around -20.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the region. In addition to lingering wind slabs at higher elevations, persistent slab avalanche danger can be expected to persist in areas where the last week's storm snow consolidates into a slab above the December 15 interface. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Last week's stormy weather brought 20-40cm of new snow to the region. Shifting winds (most recently from the northwest) have redistributed this storm snow into wind slabs on a variety of aspects at higher elevations while cold temperatures have inhibited slab formation in wind-sheltered areas. The storm snow lies over a variety of old surfaces, including large surface hoar (weak, feather-like crystals), crusts formed by sun or wind, and sugary facets. The bond at this old snow interface is of critical importance in areas where the overlying snow has consolidated into a slab. The most concerning areas areas are those that saw pronounced surface hoar development in advance of the storm, such as sheltered areas at and below tree line.A crust which was formed by rain in late November is another major feature in the snowpack and is down approximately 70-100cm at tree line elevations. Recent observations show this crust gradually breaking down, making it a less well-defined failure plane for avalanching.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

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.