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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2026–Jan 5th, 2026

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

Regions

Clearwater, South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan, Whatshan.

New snow and wind are building fresh wind slabs at upper elevations.
Verify conditions and check for signs of instability before entering steep or committing slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday

  • Several small, size 1 slabs were observed on steep northerly slopes at treeline elevations north of Clearwater.

Looking forward

  • With light amounts of new snow in the forecast and moderate wind, we can expect that triggering wind slabs will remain possible on Monday.

  • If you head into the backcountry, consider sharing your observations with the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Around 3 to 10 cm of new snow is expected in the region by Monday afternoon, accompanied by moderate southwest winds. This new snow will add to the 10 to 20 cm that has accumulated over the past few days. This snow may be sitting on a thin crust on steep southerly aspects, as well as surface hoar in isolated, sheltered areas.

A mid-December crust lies 30–50 cm deep, found up to 2200 m. Additional crusts exist in the mid and lower snowpack, including a mid-November crust with facets above and below, but neither of these layers is currently a concern.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday
Cloudy. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 4 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.

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.