Avalanche forecast

South Coast Inland

Jan 17, 2018Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 9 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

A storm system approaches late Wednesday bringing snow and rain. Where snow has fallen new storm slabs may be touchy particularly on wind-loaded slopes. Wet snow releases will be possible in areas where the snowpack has been soaked by rain.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–1.5
    Loading from new snow and strong winds will build storm slabs on leeward aspects and exposed treeline areas near ridge crests. In northern parts of the region it may still be possible for a surface release to step down to a deeper layer.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    It may be possible to trigger a loose wet slide in steep, unsupported or convex terrain where rain has soaked the upper snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate - Freezing levels are uncertain

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: Light flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind strong, southwest. Temperature -5. Freezing level 1000 m.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy, mix of rain and snow. Precipitation 20-30 mm. Ridge wind strong, south. Temperature near 0. Freezing level rising to 1800 m. (Rain is expected for southern areas, northern areas may see 20 cm of snow).THURSDAY: Cloudy, snow. Accumulation 10-15 cm. Ridge wind strong, southwest. Temperature -1. Freezing level 1300 m.FRIDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 1-5 cm. Ridge wind light, southwest. Temperature -3. Freezing level 1000 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday there was a report of a skier triggered size 2.5 slab avalanche in the northern part of the region that initiated as a 30 cm thick wind slab then stepped down to approximately 70 cm thick (likely the mid December layer) on a north-east aspect at 2050 m.

Snowpack Summary

A dusting of new snow has buried the most recent, January 15th crust. This crust exists on almost all aspects and elevations with the exception of northerly aspects above 1850 m where the snow surface remained dry during the alpine inversion event on the weekend.Below the January 15th crust about 30-50 cm of snow overlies a 1 cm thick crust that was buried on January 6th which exists up to about 2000m. Mid and lower snowpack layers including the mid December and late November crust layers have produced moderate to hard, sudden results in snowpack tests in the northern part of the region last week and may be a concern for step-down potential.

Regions covered