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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 20th, 2020–Feb 21st, 2020

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

Regions

South Coast Inland.

One more quiet weather day before stormy weather reaches the region over the weekend. Remember that low hazard does not mean no hazard; pockets of wind slabs may still be found in the region. In the north, shallow slabs could act as a trigger for buried weak layers.

Confidence

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

Weather Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level 800 m.

FRIDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level 1300 m.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -6 C, freezing level 1000 m.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -8 C, freezing level 800 m.

Avalanche Summary

A few small, loose avalanches were triggered out of steep rocky terrain from solar warming on Wednesday. Otherwise, no new avalanches were observed.

Snowpack Summary

Clear skies have formed a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed aspects and allowed for widespread surface hoar growth. Soft, faceted snow is found on shaded and sheltered aspects, which overlies hard surfaces and potentially buried surface hoar in sheltered terrain around treeline. Isolated wind slabs may still linger in steep, lee terrain features in the alpine.

The midpack is well-settled.

In the north part of the region (e.g. Duffey/Hurley/Goldbridge), a deep instability exist in the snowpack, consisting of a weak basal facet-crust complex. Sporadic avalanche activity on this layer is keeping it on our radar. In the south of the region, including the Coquihalla and Manning areas, there are no concerns about deeply buried weak layers.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if snow is moist or wet
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

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.