Avalanche forecast

North Columbia

Dec 1 – 2, 2019Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Soak up the sunshine, take stock of early season snowpack variability, and monitor for lingering pockets of wind slab in the alpine.

Share what you see in the mountains this weekend via the MIN!

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    In alpine terrain and near ridge tops, you may find old hard wind slabs on all aspects.

Confidence

Moderate - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected. Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

Saturday night: Mostly clear, alpine temperature -12 C, light southwest wind, no precipitation.

Sunday: Increasing cloud cover, alpine temperature -8 C, light southwest wind, isolated flurries with a trace of accumulation.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, alpine temperature -8 C, southwest wind increasing to moderate, light snow possible with 2-5 cm of accumulation.

Tuesday: Cloudy, alpine temperature -6 C, moderate southwest wind, light snow possible with 3-8 cm of accumulation.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanches are decreasing in likelihood, but it still may be possible to trigger wind slabs in isolated pockets in the alpine. This is a great MIN report from the South Columbia region on Wednesday that helps to paint the picture of these wind slab avalanches.

If you see anything while out in the field, please consider sharing that information with us and the backcountry community via the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Snow line sits around 1200 m, and snow depths range from 70-120 cm at treeline elevations.

A week of cold temperatures has been decreasing the strength of the upper snowpack, except in isolated areas where it has been drifted into wind slabs in the alpine. These slabs could be more reactive where they overly a weak layer of surface hoar (feathery crystals) that formed on a crust. 

A variety of crusts from late October are buried deeper in the snowpack (down 50 to 90 cm). Generally, the prolonged inactive weather pattern has improved snowpack stability in the short term.

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