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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 1st, 2024–Feb 2nd, 2024

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

Regions

Clearwater, South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Mushy snow remains down low, up high it will be crusty.

Thin slabs may exist and wet avalanches could persist.

Travel conditions will be tricky, trust me.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

The natural avalanche cycle observed on the weekend and earlier in the week due to the warming event has begun to taper with cooling temperatures. Natural wet loose and wet slab avalanches were reported on all aspects and elevations up to size 2.

Snowpack Summary

Moist or crusty snow surfaces exist from recent rain and warm temperatures. Up to 10 cm of new snow may overlie this crust in the alpine. At lower elevations the snowpack is isothermal.

A layer of facets formed during the mid-January cold snap sits 30-50 cm deep. Another weak layer consisting of a crust and facets is down 50 to 100 cm.

Basal facets exist at the base of the snowpack. Snowpack depths at treeline average 100-140 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with light rain or snow, up to 5 mm. Alpine wind south 15 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature 0 °C, freezing level 1700 m.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with light rain or snow. Alpine wind southwest 10 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -1 °C, freezing level 1700 m.

Saturday

Mainly cloudy with light flurries, up to 5 cm accumulation. Alpine wind northwest 15 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperature -3 °C. freezing level dropping to 1200 m.

Sunday

Mainly cloudy with light flurries, up to 5 cm accumulation. Alpine wind light and variable. Treeline temperature -4 °C. freezing level dropping to 700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • A crust on the surface will help bind the snow together, but may make for tough travel conditions.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Keep in mind that wet avalanches can be destructive due to their high density.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.