Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 31st, 2022–Apr 1st, 2022

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos.

Wind slabs may be reactive to human triggering at upper elevations, especially where they sit above a crust.

Conditions can change quickly with rain or strong solar input destabilizing the snowpack. Be ready to adjust your plans and scale back your exposure to avalanche terrain

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

Friday: Mostly overcast skies with 5-10 cm of new snow. Ridgetop wind will be moderate from the West. Freezing levels will likely rise to 1500 m during the day and fall to the valley bottom overnight.

Saturday/ Sunday: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Ridgetop wind is moderate from the southwest and freezing levels will remain 1500 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, no significant avalanche activity was reported. Sloughing from steep terrain was seen and older wind slabs up to size 2.

On Tuesday, in the north of the region small (size 1) wind slabs were reactive to human-triggering in the alpine. In the south of the region, a natural storm/wind slab cycle up to size 3 occurred, triggered by warm temperatures and strong solar radiation. The most reactivity was noted on south-facing aspects.

A widespread wet loose natural avalanche cycle up to size 3 occurred on Monday on all aspects and elevations. The most activity occurred below treeline.

The last persistent slab avalanche in the region was on March 26th. This layer is expected to become dormant after being tested by significant warming followed by cooling temperatures.

Snowpack Summary

5-15 cm of new snow overlies up to 30 cm of denser snow that tapers rapidly with elevation. Westerly wind may form pockets of windslab in the alpine and exposed treeline. A crust or moist snow can be found below the new snow on all aspects as high as 2000 m and to mountain top on solar aspects. Below the crust, the top 10-30 cm of the snowpack is moist.

Several other crust layers exist in the upper snowpack, that have shown no recent avalanche activity.

Terrain and Travel

Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
Cornices become weak with daytime heating or solar exposure.
When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

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.

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.