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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 15th, 2026–Jan 16th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

On going wind continues to load alpine start zones.

Give lee aspect terrain at all elevations a wide berth as more time is needed to allow slabs to settle and bond.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast
  • Uncertainty is due to the extreme variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, observations of large avalanches ( size 3) where reported as being 24-36 hours old. A small persistent slab was remotely trigger and this supports the likelihood of human triggering of this avalanche problem.

A large natural avalanche cycle occurred during periods of rapid loading on Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Around 30 to 40 cm of snow accumulated over the past few days. Extreme southerly wind means that even deeper deposits are found on northerly and crossloaded slopes, while south-facing slopes remain scoured.

A weak layer of facets may be found around 70 to 100 cm deep. In shallow snowpack areas, the bottom half of the snowpack is composed of weak depth hoar.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 100 m.

Friday
Cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 400 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 600 m.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.
  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.

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.