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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 30th, 2019–Jan 31st, 2019

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary.

Hazard is expected to rise on Friday with the incoming storm. Uncertainty still exists regarding the reactivity of a buried weak layer that has been most prevalent on shady aspects, at treeline elevations.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy / Moderate, northwesterly winds / Low -7 C / Freezing level below valley bottom.THURSDAY: Cloudy / Moderate, westerly winds / High 0 C / Freezing level 1000 m.FRIDAY: Snow, 5-20 cm. / Strong, southwesterly winds / High -2 C / Freezing level 500 m. SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries; 5-10 cm. / Moderate, southwesterly winds / High -3 C / Freezing level 400 m.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches were reported in the region on Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

There is currently a wide variety of snow surfaces. Sun crusts on south aspects to mountaintops, some of which have small surface hoar(weak, feathery crystals) growing on top, which is a particularly nasty combination. Most exposed alpine areas have been heavily wind effected. 5-10 mm surface hoar has been widespread in areas that are protected from sun and wind.Around 20 to 40 cm down, expect to find a crust on south aspects and feathery surface hoar crystals in sheltered and shaded areas. The surface hoar is currently the primary layer of concern and may be most reactive at treeline elevations on shady aspects. However, no recent avalanches have been reported on this layer.The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled and strong in most locations.

Problems

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.