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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 9th, 2025–Jan 10th, 2025

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

New snow and wind continue to create dangerous avalanche conditions.

Human-triggered avalanches are likely. Cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making are essential.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, a couple of skier-triggered slabs size 1.5-2 were reported on west aspects at alpine/treeline elevations. The failure plane was identified as a layer of surface hoar layer beneath the recent storm snow and did not step down to the deeply buried crust.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, natural storm slabs were observed size 2 to 3. Notably, only a few cases of step-downs to the buried crust were noted.

Snowpack Summary

Light snowfall continues to accumulate, bringing storm totals to 40 to 60 cm by the end of the day Friday. Strong winds have been redistributing the new snow at upper elevations. Below 1200 m, the snow surface may be moist, wet or crusty. This MIN describes heavy, wet conditions near Shames on Wednesday.

The recent snow isn't expected to bond well as it sits on a layer of surface hoar, facets, or a thin crust.

A weak layer of surface hoar and facets overlying a crust is buried 60 to 120 cm deep in the southern parts of the region, and up to 200 cm deep in areas north of Stewart. Avalanches failing on this layer will be very large and destructive.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1000 to 1300 m.

Friday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use increased caution at all elevations. Storm snow is forming touchy slabs.
  • Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.

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.

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.