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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 7th, 2023–Feb 8th, 2023

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

Regions

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

Seek out soft snow in sheltered areas at lower elevations to avoid wind slabs hidden by the new snow up high. A wind slab in motion could be just the trigger for a large step down avalanche on the persistent weak layer we're tracking.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Observations from Monday in the snowier southwestern part of the region show our recent storm snow reacting to ski cutting, which produced numerous small (up to size 1.5) storm slabs on steep slopes at treeline and below with crowns up to 40cm. Isolated natural releases were also observed in the alpine.

Although post-storm observations in the region remain limited, these occurrences give an indication of some of the human triggering potential that could persist in the near term. Similarly little is known yet about the effects of the increased load on our buried persistent weak layers.

If you are out in the backcountry, please share your observations to the Mountain Information Network!

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall and southwest winds have accumulated around 50-60 cm of storm snow that is continuously being blown into wind slabs. This growing storm total sits on a crust from the warming event on January 25th and will need time to form a solid bond.

The mid and lower snowpack continues to bond and stabilize. A few concerning weak layers can still be found in the top meter of the snowpack including a surface hoar layer from early January and a crust from late December.

Weather Summary

Tuesday night

Becoming cloudy with scattered flurries and a trace of new snow. Light southeast winds shifting southwest. Treeline high temperatures around -8.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy with flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow in the morning. Light to moderate southwest winds. Treeline high temperatures around -8.

Thursday

Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 5-15 cm of new snow, including overnight amounts. Strong south winds easing a bit over the day. Treeline high temperatures around -2 with freezing levels rising to 1200 m.

Friday

Diminishing cloud and flurries finishing with up to 5 cm of new snow. Storm totals of 15-30 cm. Strong southwest winds shifting west. Treeline high temperatures around -5 and falling over the day.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.