Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2025–Jan 11th, 2025

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Blue River, Clearwater, Premier, Clemina, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, Central Selkirk, Gold, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Start in mellow terrain and watch for signs of instability like shooting cracks or recent avalanches.

New snow and wind may cause a recently buried weak layer to reach its tipping point.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, several small to large (up to size 2) natural and human triggered wind slab and cornice avalanches were reported, as well as natural loose dry avalanches, and sluffing with rider traffic in steep terrain.

Recently, there were reports of glide cracks opening up and glide slab avalanches up to size 2. Notably more than usual. This problem may exist only in these isolated features, but we'll see if a pattern emerges.

Snowpack Summary

Moderate winds may have formed wind slabs on lee slopes at treeline and above. A shift from southwest to northwest wind means that wind loading will be happening on different slopes versus Wednesday and Thursday.

In sheltered terrain, 20 to 40 cm of settling snow sits on a layer of weak, feathery crystals up to 10 mm in size (surface hoar), possibly even into the alpine. In some places this layer may include a crust due to solar effect or very high humidity.

A crust/facet/surface hoar layer (buried in early December) may be found 90 to 160 cm deep. It was previously most active south of Highway 5, but it no longer seems to be an avalanche problem for this forecast area.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 40 to 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow north of Highway 1, 5 to 10 cm south of Highway 1. 30 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind, decreasing through the day. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with up to 2 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Possible temperature inversion above 2000 m. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.

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.