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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 7th, 2024–Dec 8th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Howson, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Wind slabs at upper elevations will be the main concern.

A thick surface crust will present challenging travel conditions at lower elevations.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred earlier in the week as rain and warm temperatures infiltrated the region. Slab avalanches up to size 3 were observed in the Smithers and Seaton areas.

Looking forward, lingering pockets of wind slab at upper elevations will be the main concern.

If you head to the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall overlies a crust or moist snow from rain earlier in the week. Strong winds will create heavily wind-affected surfaces and redistribute dry snow into wind slabs.

We suspect two surface hoar layers in the mid-snowpack have been cleaned out by the rain.

Deeper in the snowpack, a rain crust from early November seems to be bonding well to the surrounding snow.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Mainly cloudy. 15 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday

Mainly clear. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 25 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

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.