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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 26th, 2024–Jan 27th, 2024

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

Regions

Cariboos, North Columbia, South Columbia, Clearwater, Quesnel, Jordan, Shuswap, Gold, North Okanagan.

Expect deeper and more reactive slabs in wind-loaded terrain features. Be ready dial back your terrain choices if freezing levels start to rise above treeline.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Storm slabs were reactive earlier in the week, with numerous natural, human- and remote-triggered avalanches up to size 2. On Wednesday, avalanche activity became more specific to wind-loaded features, with several naturals up to size 2.5 on north to east aspects in the alpine and upper treeline elevations.

Snowpack Summary

30-50 cm of recent snow sits over a layer of facets formed during the early January cold snap. At upper elevations, the recent snow has seen some redistribution by wind. At lower elevations, a thin crust or moist snow may be found at the surface.

Old layers of surface hoar and crusts in the mid snowpack appear to be healing. The mid and lower snowpack is generally strong and well bonded.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Around 5 cm of new snow. Southwest alpine wind 20-40 km/h. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with scattered flurries bringing p to 5 cm. South alpine wind 15-30 km/h. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. South alpine wind 20-40 km/h. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud. South alpine wind 20-40 km/h. Treeline temperature +4 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • Caution around convexities or sharp changes in terrain.
  • Extra caution for areas experiencing rapidly warming temperatures for the first time.

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.

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.