Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Unlikely - Possible
- Size
- 1–1.5
Recent snow may be reactive where wind has loaded deeper deposits over a crust.
Avalanche forecast
View on mapSouth Okanagan
Dec 13 – 14, 2023Avalanche Canada
Archived · expired 3 years ago
Avalanche danger
Fri
Sat
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Highlights
Recent snow has been redistributed to form thin wind slabs at upper elevations.
Avalanche problems
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.