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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 31st, 2017–Feb 1st, 2017

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.

Lingering wind slabs are expected to remain reactive in steep wind loaded terrain features.  Use extra caution as you transition into wind affected terrain and watch for signs of recent wind loading.

Confidence

Moderate - Wind effect is extremely variable

Weather Forecast

A ridge of high pressure keeps the region cold and dry for the next few days. Wednesday and Thursday are expected to sunny with light northeast wind and treeline temperatures around -15C. Increasing cloud cover is expected on Friday in advance of a weak storm system which is currently forecast to arrive late Friday.

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday and Monday, several natural wind slab avalanches up to size 2.5 were observed throughout the region. These avalanches occurred on most aspects and were mainly in the alpine but a few were at treeline. Slabs were typically 20-30 cm thick. Skiers also triggered several wind slab avalanches on Monday up to size 1.5. One of the avalanches was remotely triggered from 15 m away.On Wednesday, recently formed wind slabs are expected to remain reactive to human triggering, especially on steep and unsupported or convex slopes. Winds have recently switched from south to north and wind slabs should be expected on all aspects.In the far north of the region around Blue River and Valemount, a persistent slab problem still exists. Several large human triggered avalanches were reported early last week. Click here for more details.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of recent new snow with strong shifting winds have formed wind slabs on a variety of aspects in wind exposed terrain. A sun crust is being reported on steep solar aspects. Surface faceting is also being reported as a result of the current cold temperatures. The mid-January interface is now down 30-50 cm and consists of buried surface hoar in sheltered areas, old wind slabs, and/or widespread faceted old snow. The interface has generally stabilized but isolated weaknesses may still exist where buried surface hoar is preserved. The mid-December surface hoar/facet persistent weakness can now be found down 100-120 cm. This weak layer has become inactive in the south of the region, but may still be reactive to triggers in the northern part of the region near Blue River and Valemount. It is highly recommended to investigate this layer before committing to any large, unsupported features. Read the Cariboo forecast for more information.

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.