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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 6th, 2023–Feb 7th, 2023

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

Regions

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

Investigate new snow amounts and reactivity in an initial assessment travel mode on Tuesday. Raise your guard as you approach exposed terrain where overlapping wind slabs and persistent slabs demand thoughtful terrain selection.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

We don't yet have observations from Monday's storm, however it's likely an uptick in natural storm and/or wind slabs occurred as moderate snowfall and high winds took over the region.

A MIN report from Sunday gives an indication of wind slab hazards that existed in the region in advance of our most recent snow and wind. Slabs that are a step larger will need to be managed on Tuesday, in addition to the uncertain effects of the increased load on our buried persistent weak layers.

On Friday a natural avalanche cycle up to size 3 took place in the south west corner of the forecast region. These avalanches failed on the late January crust.

If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Ongoing snowfall and southwest winds have accumulated around 50-60 cm of storm snow that is continuously being blown into wind slabs. This growing storm total sits on a crust from the warming event on January 25th and will need time to form a solid bond.

The mid and lower snowpack continues to bond and stabilize. A few concerning weak layers can still be found in the top meter of the snowpack including a surface hoar layer from early January and a crust from late December.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Clearing. Winds easing to light southwest.

Tuesday

Increasing cloud with flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow. Light southwest winds. Treeline high temperatures around -8.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Light to moderate southwest winds shifting southeast and increasing. Treeline high temperatures around -10.

Thursday

Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 5-10 cm of new snow, including overnight amounts. Strong south winds. Treeline high temperatures around -3.

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.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.