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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2023–Apr 5th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
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 Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Wednesday may see wind slab growth at higher elevations as a system begins to arrive in our region.

Assess conditions as you travel through the backcountry and pay attention to the wind.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday there was a report of a skier-controlled wind slab in the alpine.

A small storm slab was triggered by a skier on an east aspect in the alpine in the Howson Range Saturday.

Other than these two there have been no new avalanches reported recently.

Snowpack Summary

By the end of the day on Wednesday, parts of our region may see up to 10 cm fall. This will be accompanied by moderate to strong southwest winds creating fresh wind slabs. The new snow and wind slabs will be sitting on a variety of surfaces. On polar slopes, around 20 cm of soft snow from the weekend will be preserved and buried. On solar slopes and at lower elevations, a crust may be what is getting buried.

The middle of the snowpack is strong and contains numerous hard crusts. Near the ground, weak faceted crystals exist. There hasn't been avalanche activity on this layer recently, but it remains on our radar as it may become active with abrupt changes to the snowpack, such as rapid loading (heavy snowfall or rain) or prolonged warming.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Increasing cloud cover, 2 cm accumulation, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures around -5 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy, 5 to 10 cm accumulation most of which will arrive by early morning, winds southwest 45 km/h, treeline temperatures getting up to 0 °C.

Friday

Cloudy up to 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 to 35 km/h, treeline temperatures around -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.