Regions
South Coast Inland.
Storm slabs will likely be most reactive in wind effected terrain. Use caution as you transition into wind effected snow.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light, southwesterly winds / Freezing level valley bottom.Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light, southeasterly winds/ Freezing level valley bottom.Thursday: 10-15 cm new snow / Strong, southwesterly winds / Freezing level 500m.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported in this region on Sunday.
Snowpack Summary
35-50 cm(lower amounts in the north) of recent storm snow has buried a wide variety of old snow surfaces including stiff wind slab or wind effected snow at upper elevations, sun crust on steep southerly slopes, surface hoar and surface facets in sheltered locations. The mid-January surface hoar and facet interface is now buried 50-80 cm and the mid-December facets down 90-120 cm remain a concern especially in shallower snowpack areas like the Duffey, Hurley and/ or South Chilcotins. These deeper weaknesses warrant monitoring especially through periods of more load. In southern areas (Coquihalla), the lower snowpack is reportedly well settled(stronger), than it is to the north.
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.