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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 8th, 2021–Jan 9th, 2021

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

Regions

South Coast.

 A brief clearing on Saturday before we start to see some more precipitation on Sunday and Monday. Wind slabs at uppermost elevations are the main concern. 

Confidence

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

Weather Forecast

Friday Night: Mainly cloudy with flurries, light west wind, treeline high temperature -1 C freezing level 800 m.

Saturday: Cloudy with sunny breaks, moderate southwest wind, treeline high temperature 3, freezing level 1300 m.

Sunday: Flurries or rain showers, moderate southwest wind, treeline high temperature near 2 C, freezing level 1100 m.

Monday: Snow or rain, moderate to strong southwest wind, treeline high temperature 4 C, freezing level 1600 m.

Avalanche Summary

There have been no reports of avalanche activity on Thursday and Friday.

On Wednesday there were reports of a few explosives controlled size 1-1.5 storm slab avalanches at 1200 m on a west aspect. As well, there were several MIN reports outlining easily triggered storm slabs at treeline during Tuesday afternoon's storm. Check out the MIN reports here and here. 

Snowpack Summary

Snow at uppermost elevations from earlier this week has likely been wind affected. Recent snow may contain and/or sit on a crust. Below the 1300 m elevation band the snow surface is likely moist, wet or refrozen as a surface crust. 

The remainder of the snowpack is well-settled.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.

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.