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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2024–Jan 5th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Tetrahedron.

With a forecast of fresh snow falling with strong winds, expect to find an increasingly reactive snowpack and avalanche hazard highest at the end of the day.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported.

If you head into the backcountry by any method of travel, please consider submitting observations and/or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

20-40 cm of new snow is expected to accumulate by the end of Friday.

Below new snow, expect the upper snowpack to be dry snow in the alpine and at treeline, and a mix of moist snow and frozen crusts below treeline. The new snow is burying a mix of wet, frozen, or settling snow from recent freezing level fluctuations.

In the warmest, wettest parts of this forecast area and lower elevation ridgetops and peaks, the snowpack has been mostly melted by recent rain. Other than shaded gullies that may hold snow, much of the terrain is below threshold for avalanches.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy. Up to 10 cm of snow by Friday morning above 1000 m. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -3 °C.

Friday

Snowing. 20-40 cm of snow accumulating in the mountains by 4 pm. Strong southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -2 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy. Up to 80 mm of precipitation in 48 hrs (falling as snow and ending early morning). Moderate west ridgetop wind. Treeline low around -6 °C.

Sunday

Mix of sun and clouds. no precipitation. Light west ridgetop wind. Treeline low around -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

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.

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.