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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 20th, 2025–Feb 21st, 2025

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Jordan, North Selkirk, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Carefully assess local conditions, as new snow, wind, and warming temperatures could increase avalanche danger throughout the day.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Over the past week, several small avalanches (mostly size 1 to 1.5) have been reported throughout the region, both natural and human-triggered. The prevailing trend shows persistent slab avalanches, primarily on southerly-facing aspects, ranging from 20 to 50 cm in depth, while wind slabs have occured on mostly northerly-facing terrain, typically 20 to 30 cm deep.

Snowpack Summary

New snow on Friday will continue to accumulate atop layers of surface hoar in sheltered terrain and a thin crust on sun-affected slopes, approximately 20 to 30 cm below the surface.

Below these layers, the upper snowpack is largely faceted and poorly bonded with another layer of surface hoar in sheltered terrain and a thin crust on sun-affected slopes. This layer, buried in late January, varies in depth but generally exists within the upper 80 cm of snow.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 2 to 8 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1800 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Avalanche danger is expected to increase throughout the day.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

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.