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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 14th, 2023–Apr 15th, 2023

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Blue River, Clearwater, Clemina, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, Shuswap, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Two things to watch out for: at lower elevations loose wet avalanches during the heat of the day, often running on a crust and going faster & bigger than one might think; at upper elevations, especially on southerly aspects where the dry snow sits on a crust, storm slabs have been propagating widely, are surprisingly deep, and could be triggered by warmth, cornices, or riders.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A serious avalanche incident occurred in the backcountry just east of Revelstoke on Wednesday. Details are available here. This is representative of the recent storm snow above a crust problem.

Thursday's avalanche reports spoke to the continued storm slab or persistent slab avalanche problem (previous dry snow above crusts or facets from April 7 or March 31) with several avalanches to size 3.5, many seemed to release with daytime warming. Some were cornice triggered.

Looking forward, the need for backcountry travelers to manage a wide range of avalanche concerns that vary by elevation and aspect continues.

Snowpack Summary

High elevations (where winter remains and the snow is dry) around 30-60 cm, (even deeper on the west side of the Purcells near the Bugaboos). And of course previous storm snow is also deeper on lee features

All this snow overlies either a widespread melt-freeze crust buried April 7, a weak interface of faceted snow and surface hoar buried at the end of March, or some combination of the two. Both of these interfaces can serve as weak layers; numerous recent avalanches, some with wide propagation, are attributed to each.

The mid-snowpack is strong. However, November depth hoar remains at the base of the snowpack and remains a concern in rocky, shallow, variable depth snowpack areas at treeline and above.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Clear periods. Nil precipitation. Increasing southwest winds gusting to moderate. Treeline temperatures around -7 with freezing level at valley bottom..

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. WInd from the south or southwest, light to moderate. Alpine high temperatures around -5 C with freezing levels to 1900 m.

Sunday

Warm overnight with freezing level only falling to around 1400m. Sunday itself overcast with 5 to 15 cm of snow (lightest amounts in the north, highest amounts in the south). Alpine temperatures around -3 C with freezing level up to around 1900 m. Light, gusting moderate southerly wind.

Monday

Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Only a trace of precipitation. Cooler with diminishing wind. Freezing level around 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • Stay in tune with the physical environment, conditions may change throughout the day.
  • If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.