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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 21st, 2024–Dec 22nd, 2024

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

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Wind slabs may still be triggerable in open lee areas.

Stick to sheltered terrain for the best snow and safest conditions.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Friday or Saturday.

Numerous storm and wind slab avalanches were reported in the Okanagan on Wednesday and Thursday. Rider-triggered avalanches were small and explosive-triggered slabs were large, size 2 to 3.

Snowpack Summary

Alpine terrain is heavily wind-affected, while sheltered areas have 30 cm of settling snow from Wednesday's storm.

A mix of rain and sun crusts is present beneath the recent snow, with reports of isolated surface hoar at these depths in neighbouring regions. So far there hasn't been evidence that these layers are a long-term concern.

Treeline snow depths in the Okanagan region average 110 cm.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with up to 5 cm of snow ending in the morning. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow in the south. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.

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.