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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 14th, 2024–Dec 15th, 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, 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

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Shuswap, Crawford, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Valhalla.

New snow may sit on surface hoar.

Monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old by watching for shooting cracks and natural avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

It's expected that rider-triggered avalanches occured on Saturday. However, we have no reports of avalanches yet.

Natural and skier-triggered dry loose avalanches up to size 1 continue to be reported from steep terrain where the surface snow hasn’t formed slab properties or bonded to the underlying crust.

2 natural cornice falls were reported on Thursday. Neither of these cornices triggered a slab on the slope below.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of new snow fell on Saturday This was accompanied by moderate to strong southwest wind forming larger deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain, this new snow could overlie surface hoar.

A layer of surface hoar and/or crust can be found down 20 to 40 cm. The extent of this crust is uncertain in the Selkirks. Where this crust is thin or not present a layer of surface hoar may be found.

The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled, dense, and generally strong. Treeline snow depths range from 100 to 150 cm.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 1 to 2 cm of snow. 15 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with 1 cm of snow in the morning and a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.

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.