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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 2nd, 2026–Jan 3rd, 2026

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 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.

Regions

North Columbia, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Clemina, Renshaw, Robson.

Storm slab size and reactivity to triggers will increase as the new snow piles up this weekend.

Fall back to simple terrain as conditions worsen.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.
  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday

  • A naturally triggered size 2.5 avalanche was observed in the Northern Cariboos.

On Wednesday

  • Numerous loose dry sluffs out of extreme terrain were observed southwest of Valemount. They were up to size 2 and likely triggered by wind or sun.

  • Looking forward: The likelihood of both human and natural-triggered avalanches is expected to rise as storm snow accumulates on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snow amounts vary across the region: Between 10 and 30 cm. An additional 10 to 15 cm is expected in the region by Saturday afternoon.

Combined, this snow may be building reactive storm slabs. Recent winds have built deeper and more reactive slabs on lee slopes near ridgetops.

The prominent mid-December crust is buried up to 110 cm deep and extends to 2200 m. Several weak layers persist in the lower snowpack, but concern is limited to higher-elevation terrain where the crust above is absent. Triggering the crust is considered unlikely, except with large loads or in thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday
Cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 3 to 15 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use increased caution at all elevations. Storm snow is forming touchy slabs.
  • Avalanche danger is expected to to increase throughout the day, think carefully about your exit plan from the backcountry.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.

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.