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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 7th, 2024–Mar 8th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Boundary, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Choose simple, well-supported terrain that is sheltered from the wind.

New snow and wind are keeping the wind slab problem alive, and increasing the chance of triggering deeper weak layers.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several avalanche reports and snowpack tests through the week have indicated that wind slab and persistent avalanches are still a concern.

Looking forward to Friday, new snow and wind are making it more likely for a large avalanche to be triggered by a human.

Field observations have been limited, if you head out, please consider submitting a Mountain Information Network post.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find 15 to 25 cm of soft, fresh snow in sheltered areas. Strong winds are forming fresh, reactive wind slabs in leeward terrain.

The new snow covers wind-affected snow or wind-scoured crusts.

There are a variety of weak layers in the upper snowpack that could produce larger avalanches. Most concerning is a layer of weak, faceted crystals sitting on a crust 40 to 80 cm below the snow surface, seen in the snow profile photo below.

The lower snowpack is generally well-bonded and strong.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow expected. Strong south or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline lowaround -7 °C. 5 °C colder in the north end of the forecast area.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow expected. Strong south or southwest ridgetop wind, easing to moderate by the end of the day. Treeline high around -5 °C. 5 °C colder in the north half of the forecast area.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow expected to valley bottom. Light north ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -4 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. 0-2 cm of snow expected to near valley bottom. Moderate south ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.

Problems

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.

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.