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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 12th, 2023–Dec 13th, 2023

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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Recent snow has been redistributed to form thin wind slabs at upper elevations.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few size 1 explosives triggered wind slab avalanches were reported on Monday.

If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

15-35 cm of recent snow sits on a hard melt-freeze crust. A surface hoar layer may be found beneath the crust. The intense rain from earlier this week likely destroyed this layer in most places.

The middle and base of the snowpack may still be moist from the rain last week. Sugary facets near the base of the snowpack may still exist where the rain did not penetrate through.

Snowpack depths at treeline are approximately 50 to 80 cm. The snowpack tapers drastically below treeline.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly Cloudy. Light west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -8 °C, with possible temperature inversion in the alpine.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -3°C, with possible temperature inversion in the alpine.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. Light snow with 1-3 cm accumulation. Moderate to strong southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5°C.

Friday

Mainly cloudy. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

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.