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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 16th, 2025–Jan 17th, 2025

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for reactive wind slabs, especially in the alpine.

The new load may be the tipping point for deeper instabilities and bigger avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, several (size 2 to 2.5) natural wind slabs were reported. Changing winds and new snow may build fresh and reactive wind slabs on many aspects Friday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of snow fell by Thursday. Strong southwest winds will likely redistribute the storm snow onto leeward slopes building thicker slabs on lee slopes. The new snow may have a poor bond to south-facing slopes and areas below 1200–1300 m where it sits on a crust.

A persistent weak layer composed of facets overlying a crust is buried 40 to 100 cm deep and may be reactive with the new load from snow and wind.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with light flurries. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C. Freezing level drops to the valley bottom.

Friday

Sunny. 30 gusting to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Saturday

Sunny with some cloud. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Sunday

Mix of sun and cloud. 25 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.