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

Dec 28th, 2023–Dec 29th, 2023

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast, North Shore, Tetrahedron.

Be alert to conditions that change throughout the day with rising temperatures.

Avalanches are possible on slopes with wet or wind-affected snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported. Recent snow, rain, and wind may have caused isolated wind slabs and wet loose avalanches in steep terrain since Thursday but field observations are limited.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30-40 mm of precipitation has fallen since Wednesday night, with rain below 1500 m. Up 15-20 cm of wet snow may be found at upper elevations. This new snow should bond well to the warm and moist snow beneath. Total snow depths at ski hills and remote stations are 60 to 80 cm, with closer to 100 cm possible at treeline. Many areas are below the threshold depth for avalanches.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, alpine wind southeast 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature around +4 °C, freezing level around 1800 m.

Friday

Cloudy with no precipitation, alpine wind southeast 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature around +5 °C, freezing level climbing to 2500 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 10-15 cm of snow above 1500 m (rain below), alpine wind south 50 to 70 km/h, treeline temperature around +2 °C, freezing level lowering to 1300 m by evening.

Sunday

Cloudy with sunny periods, no precipitation, alpine wind south 20 km/h, treeline temperature around 0 °C, freezing level around 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.

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.

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.