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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 9th, 2023–Apr 10th, 2023

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Blue River, Clearwater, Clemina, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, Shuswap, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, North Okanagan, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Forecasted weather will bring heavy precipitation and strong winds to much of our region and will increase the avalanche hazard.

The chance of avalanches is very likely today.

Make conservative choices and back off if you see signs of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Storm slab avalanches were reported on Saturday. Most of these were triggered with the use of explosives but there were some naturals. These were no bigger than a 1.5 and occurred on north-to-east facing slopes at a depth of about 30 cm. Saturday also witnessed some natural wet loose and cornice avalanches up to size two. More of these types of avalanches are expected on Monday.

Friday saw wind slab and storm slab avalanches. The wind slab avalanches were triggered remotely and with ski cuts. Both were in the alpine, on northerly aspects, and were 30 cm deep running on facets that were buried on April 1st. In the northern part of our region, there was a size 2 natural storm slab avalanche. This occurred in the alpine on an east-facing slope and also failed on a surface that was buried 30 cm down.

On Wednesday, storm snow continued to be reactive to natural and human triggers. A few surprise skier-triggered storm slab avalanches were reported up to size 2. Naturally triggered storm slab and wind slab avalanches were observed up to size 2.5. Many of these avalanches are reported to be failing on a surface hoar layer buried near the end of March or a crust on solar aspects. Avalanche activity has primarily been observed on north and east aspects from 1700 to 2200 m. Reports indicate that the Selkirks seem to be the most reactive with rider remote-triggered slabs in the upper 50 cm of snow. During this storm, avalanches such as these will be something to look out for.

Snowpack Summary

New snow falling Sunday night and into Monday will be redistributed into wind slabs by southwest winds. Snowfall amounts will vary in our region today but new storm slabs and wind slabs will sit on a variety of surface snow. In sheltered areas, it will rest on 20 to 40 cm of snow that has been settling since last week.

On southerly aspects and below treeline, there is a widespread cust buried 30 to 50 cm down. On north-facing slopes at treeline and above there may exist a layer of faceted snow or surface hoar in shelter areas. Further down in the snowpack, around 60 cm, a surface hoar layer has been reactive to human triggering. This has occurred primarily in the Selkirks, on northeasterly slopes from 1700 m to 2100 m. Wednesday was the last day that there was any real activity on this layer but this storm may change that.

The mid-snowpack is generally strong but the lower snowpack is a different story. The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. This layer remains a concern in rocky, shallow, or thin to thick snowpack areas at treeline and above.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy, 8 to 13 cm accumulation of snow and rain, winds southwest 30 to 40 km/h gusting to 80, freezing levels between 1500 and 2000 m.

Monday

Cloudy, 10 to 20 cm accumulation with highest amounts in the south, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h gusting to 50, freezing levels as high as 2000 m, and cooling throughout the day.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with potential late day clear periods, 5 to 10 cm accumulation by morning with another 5 cm during the day, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h gusting to 40, freezing levels to 1500 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods, trace accumulation, winds west 25 to 25 km/h, freezing level starting at 500 and climbing back up to 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.