Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2024–Dec 17th, 2024

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 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Shuswap, Crawford, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Valhalla.

As the trees get thinner, start thinking about wind slabs and avoiding areas that have been loaded.

Start with small slopes and progress as you learn about the snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday near Nelson, there were a few small (size 1 to 1.5) storm and wind slabs triggered. Occurring at treeline on north to northeast aspects.

On Saturday, several small storm slab avalanches were reportedly triggered by riders as well as some large (size 2) explosive-triggered slabs.

In the Okanagan, there were also a few large natural wind slabs.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of new snow fell on Saturday accompanied by moderate to strong southwest wind forming larger deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain, this new snow could overlie weak surface hoar crystals.

A crust from freezing rain can be found down 20 to 40 cm. Where this crust is thin or not present a layer of surface hoar is possible.

The lower snowpack is well-settled, dense, and generally strong. Treeline snow depths range from 100 to 150 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with 1 cm of snow. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 20 to 50 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Thursday

Sunny with cloud increasing in the afternoon. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.

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.