Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2023–Jan 7th, 2023

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.

Watch for new wind slabs as southerly winds continue and be wary of rocky start zones where the snowpack varies from thick to to thin. Weak layers are more easily triggered here.

Check out the new Forecasters' Blog for more details on managing our challenging snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the region. However, there have been several recent reports of large human-triggered avalanches in neighboring regions with a similar snowpack structure.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 50 cm of soft snow overlies a generally weak, facetted snowpack with multiple buried weak layers. Fresh wind slabs are expected to form in higher elevation terrain from southerly winds, which may sit over a layer of reactive surface hoar and/or crust.

A layer of large and weak facets sits in the bottom of the snowpack, buried in November.

Snowpack depth is roughly 150 cm at treeline. This year's snowpack is weaker than usual, as described in our Forecasters' blog.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with flurries and moderate southerly winds. Freezing levels around 500 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm. Moderate southerly wind. Treeline high of -4 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm. Moderate southerly wind. Treeline high of -4 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with flurries. Moderate to strong southerly wind. Treeline high of -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.

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.

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.