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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 20th, 2025–Dec 21st, 2025

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain. If triggered, wind slabs may slide easily on an underlying crust.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

Explosive control work on north to east aspects in the alpine on Friday produced wind slab avalanches up to size 2, some stepping down 50 cm deep to the November crust.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 40 cm of recent storm snow has been redistributed by wind over a prominent crust from mid December that extends up to 2200 m. Below this, a couple other crust layers may exist in the upper snowpack.

A faceted crust from mid November can be found in the mid snowpack. Snowpack depth is around 1 m, tapering with elevation below 1500 m.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

Sunday
Cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
  • Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.

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.