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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 18th, 2022–Dec 19th, 2022

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

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

Strong outflow winds are expected to affect all elevations.

Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, snowmobilers released several wind slabs accidentally, and some were remotely triggered. The failure plan is the December 6th surface hoar layer, buried down 20-50 cm. At lower elevations, a few wind slabs avalanches (size 1) were reported on lee features.

If you venture into the backcountry, please consider submitting a MIN report, as it helps to strengthen our data gathering.

Snowpack Summary

5-10 cm of fresh snow was received over the weekend. Surfaces at upper elevations are highly wind-affected and variable due to switching winds. In some parts of the region, a crust exists on south aspects. Dry snow still exists on northerly aspects at lower elevations.

A layer of large surface hoar crystals, buried in early December, is found down 20 to 50 cm. This layer has been producing small but remotely-triggered avalanches recently. Reverse-loading may increase the likelihood of triggering these slabs.

The lower snowpack is well consolidated above the mid-November crust, found at treeline below 1200 m.

Weather Summary

Arctic air has arrived, and the region will remain extremely cold through the end of the week. Strong outflow winds are expected through the coastal inlets and valleys.

Sunday night

Partly cloudy. Scattered flurries. Northeast wind 40 km/h at ridge tops. High of -20˚C.

Monday

Mainly sunny. No precipitation. Northeast wind 40 km/h at ridge tops. High of -22˚C.

Tuesday

Mainly sunny. No precipitation. Northeasterly wind 30 km/h at ridge tops. High of -24˚C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and clouds. No precipitation. Northeasterly wind 45 km/h at ridge tops. High of -24˚C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.

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.