Rapid loading from heavy snowfall and wind is the perfect recipe for avalanches. Avoid avalanche terrain.
Weather Forecast
FRIDAY NIGHT - Flurries, 5-10 cm / southwest winds, 30-50 km/h / alpine low temperature near -12SATURDAY - Flurries ending in the morning and then a mix of sun and cloud / west winds 20-30 km/h / alpine high temperature near -14SUNDAY - Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries / northeast winds 10-15 km/h / alpine high temperature near -20MONDAY - Sunny with cloudy periods / northeast winds, 10-15 km/h / alpine high temperature near -16
Avalanche Summary
Field observations were limited on Friday, but it is very likely that a natural avalanche cycle was occurring throughout the day.
Snowpack Summary
30-45 cm of snow has fallen in the Cariboos since Thursday, with some areas seeing as much as 60 cm. This new snow is sitting on wind slab, surface hoar (feathery crystals), facets (sugary snow) and a crust on sun-exposed slopes. 40-60 cm of snow now sits on a persistent weak layer that was buried in mid January. This layer consists of surface hoar and a crust on sun-exposed slopes. It is most prominent at treeline and below, and it will likely be reactive due to the recent heavy snowfall.
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.