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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 25th, 2023–Dec 26th, 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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Choose terrain that is sheltered from the wind for the best snow conditions, and lower avalanche danger. Fresh snow and and wind make human triggered avalanches possible.

Happy holidays!

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region. We expect those who head into the backcountry will see evidence of a natural avalanche cycle in wind-loaded alpine features from strong overnight winds.

This MIN post paints a great picture of conditions at The Onion on Sunday.

If you head into the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the MIN (Mountain Information Network).

Snowpack Summary

Light snowfall continues to refresh the snow surface. Generally strong southerly winds building wind slabs in exposed leeward terrain. South facing slopes (windward), have likely been scoured by the strong winds or have dense, wind packed snow. At lower elevations this storm snow overlies a surface crust.

Two different surface hoar layers have been reported in the upper snowpack (expected to be up to 50 cm deep) and appear to be most prominent at treeline and below. Snowpack depths at treeline are 50 to 100 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy. 5 to 12 cm of snow. Strong south ridgetop wind. Freezing level rises to around 1100 m. Treeline temperature around -1 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, possibly clearing in the afternoon. 2 to 5 cm of snow expected, up to 10 cm north of Smithers. Strong southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level falls to around 750 m with treeline temperatures around -7 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow expected. Strong to extreme southeast wind. Freezing level drops to valley bottom overnight, rising to 500 m through the day. Treeline high around -3 °C.

Thursday

Partly cloudy, 3 to 5 cm of snow expected. Southeast winds, 50 to 60 km/h. Freezing level rising to around 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

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.