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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 14th, 2019–Dec 15th, 2019

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary.

Storm slabs may be reactive to human triggers as they sit on a buried weak layer. There is also a deeper, persistent weak layer in the snowpack that could be reactive to human triggers, especially in shallow snowpack areas.

Confidence

Moderate - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

Weather Forecast

SATURDAY NIGHT - Cloudy with clear periods / light northwest winds / alpine low temperature near -9

SUNDAY - A mix of sun and cloud / northwest wind 15-30 km/h / alpine high temperature near -8

MONDAY - A mix of sun and cloud / southwest wind, 25-50 km/h / alpine high temperature near -7

TUESDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries / southwest winds, 40-60 km/h / alpine high temperature near -4

Avalanche Summary

There were a few reports of explosives triggered avalanches up to size 2 on Friday.

There were a few human and explosives triggered avalanches size 1-2 reported on Thursday.

Check out this MIN report of an avalanche in the Big White Backcountry on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

10- 25 cm of recent fresh snow sits on a weak layer of feathery surface hoar in many areas, and on a crust on steep south facing slopes. Previous strong winds have likely formed slabs that may be reactive to human triggers. 

There is also a persistent weak layer down approximately 50-60 cm that mainly consists of a crust with sugary faceted snow on top of it. There have been no recent avalanches reported on this layer, but recent test results indicate that this layer could react to human triggers, and propagate widely, resulting in large avalanches.

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.