Avalanche forecast

Cariboos

Apr 15 – 16, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Recent snowfall has been redistributed by changing winds. Wind slabs exist on a variety of aspects at treeline and above. Wind has also formed very large and potentially unstable cornices.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–6
    A weak interface is buried about a metre down. A surface avalanche stepping down, cornice fall, or the weight of a person from a thin-spot trigger point could trigger it.

Confidence

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Weather Forecast

Tuesday: No snow. Light winds. Freezing level near 1300 m. Wednesday: Light snow. Moderate SW winds. Freezing level near 1500 m. Thursday: Moderate snow. Light to moderate SW winds. Freezing level near 1600 m.

Avalanche Summary

Several loose avalanches to size 2 were observed on Sunday. A cornice fall also triggered a size 2 avalanche in steep terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 40 cm recent storm snow has been shifted by variable winds into wind slabs at treeline and above. Below treeline, warm daytime temperatures have been softening the snow surface.Some professionals are expressing concern for a surface hoar interface buried within the upper metre or so of the snowpack, mainly on high-elevation northerly aspects. It may be slowly gaining some strength, but these slopes should still be treated with suspicion. On other slopes, recent storm snow overlies a crust. This crust interface has recently become reactive in regions further south. Cornices in the region are very large and potentially destructive.

Regions covered