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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 24th, 2023–Apr 25th, 2023

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Esplanade, Jordan, North Selkirk, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Be diligent in making ongoing assessments. This time of year conditions and hazard will vary greatly from one slope to another and can change quickly throughout the day.

If in doubt choose more conservative terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed in the past few days in the region.

Please help out your fellow backcountry users by filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

In the alpine dry snow can still be found on north facing terrain. In the morning dry snow may be found on south facing terrain but it will quickly become moist when the sun pokes out. At treeline a crust over moist snow will likely be found in the morning but it will quickly break down with day time warming. Below treeline the snowpack is diminishing , moist or wet snow will be found at this elevation.

A layer of surface hoar and a crust from March 31 persists down roughly 50 to 100 cm at treeline and above. This layer remains a concern on sheltered terrain at upper treeline where surface hoar may still exist. Additional crusts dating from April 7 and April 16 are higher up in the snowpack with similar characteristics and concerns.

The lower-snowpack is strong. However, the November depth hoar remains at the base of the snowpack and remains a concern in rocky, shallow, variable depth snowpack areas at treeline and above.

 

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with a few mm of precipitation possible, rain turning to snow overnight as freezing levels fall to 1200 m. Light to moderate southwest winds.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud with a few mm of precipitation possible. Light to moderate westerly winds and freezing level rising to 2000 m in the north of the region and up to 2300 m in the south.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud with a few mm of precipitation possible, rain at treeline and below with snow in the alpine. Moderate westerly winds and freezing level rising to 2600 m.

Thursday

Mostly sunny with no new precipitation expected. Moderate to strong westerly winds and freezing level rising to 2800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.