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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 16th, 2023–Feb 17th, 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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Carefully assess for wind slab as you move through terrain. Be especially cautious in shallow snowpack areas.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported yesterday.

Over the past few weeks Deep persistent slab avalanches have been observed in very shallow and rocky terrain. While triggering an avalanche on a deep layer is unlikely it would be very consequential.

Snowpack Summary

another 5 to 15cm of snow has fallen with moderate to strong southerly winds. This most recent snow has buried a variety of surfaces including small surface hoar and old wind effected surfaces. windward slopes are generally scoured or pressed with wind slab found on north and east aspects.

Several layers of facets, crusts or surface hoar can be found in the top 1.5 meters of the snowpack.

In shallow snowpack areas layers of facets from November and December are near the bottom of the snowpack and have likely been responsible for some large avalanches.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with a few centimeters of new snow expected. Light to moderate westerly wind and a low of -6 at 1500m.

Friday

Cloudy with up to 10cm of new snow expected. Moderate to strong westerly winds and a high of -5 at 1500m.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 10cm of new snow expected. Moderate to strong northwest winds and a high of -4 at 1500m.

Sunday

Cloudy with up to 10cm of new snow expected. Strong westerly winds and freezing levels rising to 1500m.

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.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.