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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 27th, 2023–Mar 28th, 2023

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

North Columbia, South Columbia, Esplanade, Jordan, North Selkirk, Shuswap, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Even short windows of sun effect can turn steep south-facing slopes moist so pay attention to surface conditions if the sun is out for extended periods of time.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Recent reports indicate dry loose avalanches to size 1 running in steep terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snow accumulated over the past week overlies a crust on all terrain except north-facing slopes treeline and above. On these high northerly slopes, soft snow may overlie facets and surface hoar to mountain tops.

30-50 cm down there is another sun crust on sunny aspects and surface hoar (3-10 mm) on isolated shady and sheltered slopes. The distribution of this surface hoar is spotty.

The remainder of the mid-snowpack is generally strong. The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. This layer remains a concern for human triggering in rocky, shallow, or thin-to-thick snowpack areas at treeline and above. Small avalanches and cornice falls also have the potential to trigger this deep layer.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mostly clear. Light northeast wind. High of -4 °C at treeline.

Tuesday

Mainly sunny with cloudy periods. Light northeast wind. High of -2 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1700m.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. Light northeast wind. High of -1 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1900m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. Light to moderate west wind. High of -1 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1900m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch your sluff: it may run faster and further than you expect.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
  • Minimize your exposure time below cornices.

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.