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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 11th, 2023–Dec 12th, 2023

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

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Tetrahedron.

Watch for signs of instability throughout the day as temperatures continue to rise well above 0 °C. Be careful with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday a size 1, human-triggered, storm slab avalanche was observed in exposed wind-loaded features.

Thank you to everyone who has been sharing observations on the Mountain Information Network. All the information and photos are very appreciated by forecasters!

Snowpack Summary

15 to 20 cm of dense snow has buried a widespread melt-freeze crust. In isolated areas, a weak layer of surface hoar crystals rests between the crust and the new snow.

Overall, the snow depth remains relatively shallow, creating challenging travel conditions and numerous hazards at or just below the snow surface across all elevations.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Clear skies with no precipitation, northwest ridgetop winds 5 km/h, treeline temperature +2 °C, freezing levels rise to 2000 m through the night.

Tuesday

Mainly clear with no precipitation, southwest ridgetop wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature +4 °C, freezing level continues to rise to 2700 m by the afternoon.

Wednesday

Cloudy with scattered flurries, 5 to 10 mm accumulation, southwest ridgetop wind 60 to 80 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C, freezing level drops through the day to 1000 m by afternoon.

Thursday

Cloudy with scattered flurries, 10 to 15 mm accumulation, northwest ridgetop wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.