Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 19th, 2026–Jan 20th, 2026

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.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kispiox, Ningunsaw.

It's still warm at higher elevations, so be cautious of overhead hazards and large terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Avalanche Summary

January 18

Large (up to size 2.5) explosive controlled avalanches were reported on soutwest aspects in the alpine and treeline, failing on buried surface hoar.

January 16

A large (size 2) natural cornice triggered avalanche was reported on a northwest aspect.

January 14

A natural avalanche cycle was reported, with small (size 1) wet avalanches at lower elevations and large (up to size 2.5) wind or persistent slab avalanches in the treeline and alpine.

Snowpack Summary

The upper 80 to 150 cm of snow has been altered by previous strong southerly winds at upper elevations and has settled from warm temperatures at all elevations.

In sheltered ares at lower elevations this snow is possibly resting on surface hoar.

Expect a crust on or near the surface in almost all terrain from the prolonged heat, rain and inversion. Sheltered north facing terrain may still have soft snow in places.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled with no current layers of concern. Treeline snow depths throughout the region range from 150 cm to 250 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C with an above freezing layer between 1300 m and 2500 m.

Tuesday
Sunny. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.with an above freezing layer between 1300 m and 2500 m.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Thursday
Sunny. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 0 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

The more the snowpack warms up and weakens, the more conservative your terrain selection should be.
Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.

Problems

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.

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.