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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 23rd, 2022–Dec 24th, 2022

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Watch for storm slabs to become increasingly reactive as snowfall accumulates through Saturday.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No notable recent avalanches have been reported. Please continue to post your observations and photos to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A fresh 5-15 cm of snow accumulated by Friday morning, accompanied by steady south wind. The new snow overlies a facetted and unconsolidated layer which formed during the recent cold weather.

The snowpack is unusually shallow and has a layer deep in the snowpack made up of weak facets and depth hoar. At lower elevations and shallower areas, the snowpack remains mostly unconsolidated.

The height of snow is roughly 50-200 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Stormy with flurries, up to 10 cm accumulation overnight. Alpine temperatures rise to -8 C by morning. Ridgetop winds southwest 20-40 km/hr.

Saturday

Snow through the day, 10-20 cm. Alpine high temperature -4 C. Ridgetop winds southwest 30-60 km/hr. Freezing level 1000 m.

Sunday

Continued flurries, 10 cm. Alpine high temperatures +1 C. Ridgetop winds southwest 20-30 km/hr. Freezing level rising above 1500 m.

Monday

Wet flurries and snow, 15-25 cm. Alpine high temperatures 0 C. Ridgetop winds southwest 20-30 km/hr. Freezing level 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.