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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2022–Jan 19th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

Wind slabs continue to develop and may be reactive to human triggers. Watch for pockets of fresh snow as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Weather Forecast

The ridge of high pressure over the BC interior will weaken on Wednesday morning as a Pacific frontal system pushes eastward spreading snow to the coastal ranges.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy, no precipitation, 10-20 km/h southwesterly winds, low alpine temperature -5 C with freezing level at 1300 m.

WEDNESDAY: Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries starting in the afternoon, accumulation 3-5 cm, 10-20 km/h southwesterly winds, high alpine temperature -3 C with freezing level at 1300 m.

THURSDAY: Snow, accumulation 20-30 cm, 30-50 km/h southwesterly winds, high alpine temperature -3 C with freezing level at 1300 m.

FRIDAY: A mix of sun and coud, no precipitation, 20-30 km/h northwesterly winds, high alpine temperature +3 C with freezing level at 2300 m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche activity have been reported over the last few days.

Snowpack Summary

New snow combined to moderate to strong southwest winds continue to develop wind slabs on north throught east facing slopes in the alpine and upper treeline. Temperatures have cooled off to below zero at treeline forming a melt freeze crust. Moist snow is still found at the surface at lower elevations.

Two buried weak layers of sugary, faceted grains sit in the middle and lower snowpack, at 100 cm deep and 150-250 cm deep. The deeper layer was formed by heavy rain followed by a cold spell in early December. It is most prominent between 1700 and 2100 m. With cooler temperatures, the probability of triggering an avalanche on this layer is low but will increase when freezing levels rise up again. The most likely place to trigger it would be in thin, rocky snowpack areas.

The lower snowpack is well-settled and strong.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.

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.