Avalanche forecast

Northwest Inland

Feb 3 – 4, 2017Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 10 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

The probability of triggering an a full depth avalanche has lowered but the consequence of doing so remains High.  Click here for more information in our blog on this specific problem.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Moderate to strong winds have formed wind slabs in lee areas. Surface avalanches may also step down to deeper, more destructive layers.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–4
    Last week's snow and wind have added a critical load to weak, sugary snow at the base of the snowpack and potential exists for full depth avalanches. This problem may be more acute in lower snowpack areas.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Saturday: Sunny with cloudy periods / Moderate east wind / Alpine temperature -20Sunday: Sunny / Light to moderate east wind / Alpine temperature -21Monday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light to moderate east wind / Alpine temperature -20More details can be found on the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Avalanche Summary

There is no recent avalanche activity to report over the last 3 days. However, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche on deeper weak layers at upper elevations either from a thin spot or a smaller avalanche stepping down.

Snowpack Summary

Last weekend's snowfall sits above a rain crust up to about 1300 m in many parts of the region. At tree line and above, the storm snow is settling and/or being redistributed into new wind slabs. Below, several buried surface hoar layers can be found, between 50-100 cm deep. Reports from last week indicate these layers had been yielding moderate to hard results in snowpack tests. A generally stiff mid pack sits above weak sugary snow near the ground. The new load from last week reached a critical level and woke up a deep persistent slab problem in many parts of the region. Currently the probability of triggering an avalanche on those deeper layers has lowered but the consequence remains high. It is still a good time to be cautious and disciplined with terrain choices at upper elevations.

Regions covered