Avalanche forecast

Northwest Inland

Dec 2 – 3, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Data is very limited from the region. Please send your field observations to [email protected].

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Strong and variable winds have formed touchy wind slabs on a variety of aspects in exposed terrain. Outflow winds this week could redistribute new snow and create dense wind slabs on West and South aspects.

Confidence

Poor - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Tonight and Tuesday: Clear and cold. Expect mountaintop temperatures to dip close to -20. Strong outflow winds from the North-Northeast are forecast.Outlook: Continued cold and clear weather should be the story all week. Alpine temperatures should hover between -15 and -25, and winds should remain moderate to strong from the Northwest-Northeast.

Avalanche Summary

Several wind slab avalanches up to size 2 were observed in the Ashman Ridge area on December 1. These were from wind loaded areas just below ridge crests between 1500 and 1800 m.

Snowpack Summary

Observations from the region are very limited. One recent report from the Ashman Ridge area southwest of Smithers indicates that snowpack depths range from 80-160 cm near treeline. There is around 40 cm of new storm snow that is bonding poorly to the underlying surface. Recent southerly winds have formed touchy wind slabs in exposed lee terrain at treeline and above. Previous warm temperatures and rain saturated the snowpack below 1200 m and created a rain crust. The average snowpack depth in the region is around 60-90 cm at 1200-1400 m elevation.

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