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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 29th, 2024–Jan 30th, 2024

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Boundary, Stewart, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Continue to avoid being in or under alpine avalanche terrain. The snowpack still needs time to adjust and regain strength after a warm, wet storm.

Confidence

Moderate

Snowpack Summary

Light to moderate snowfall continues as the freezing level drops.

Over the last week, this forecast area has seen significant rain and snow. The upper snowpack is likely very dense, settling rapidly, and moist or wet at treeline elevations and below, where some of this snow fell as rain. In the alpine, strong southerly winds have been blowing this snow, depositing it as thick and touchy slabs on leeward slopes.

A weak layer of surface hoar and/or facets formed earlier in the month is now buried around 60-80cm. Below this, a thick crust from January 1st exists up to around 1600 m. There is high potential for the warm temperatures and new precipitation to overload these layers triggering very large avalanches.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy. 5-10 cm of snow expected above 1200 m. Moderate south or southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -1 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy. 10-20 cm of snow expected above 750 m. Moderate to strong southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -2 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy. 5-15 cm of snow expected above 500 m. Moderate southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -2 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy. 5-15 cm of snow expected above 1000 m. Strong south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -1 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of run out zones.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.