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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2023–Dec 17th, 2023

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

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Spring like weather may raise avalanche danger on specific terrain features. Watch for wet snow on steep, sun affected slopes and wind slabs in north facing features.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday size 1 human triggered avalanches were reported at all elevations - involving dry snow at higher elevations (primarily on north facing slopes) and wet avalanches at lower elevations where rain had affected the snow. Operators also reported small chunks of cornice releasing on to the snow below - remember these can trigger avalanches and are a hazard on their own.

Please share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Warm temperatures and sun may moisten the surface snow and break down crusts that likely formed overnight.

A 1-2 cm crust is buried around 10-20 cm deep, under wind affected snow. This crust extends into the alpine and is combined with a layer of surface hoar in sheltered areas.

At treeline and above two layers of concern are buried around 40 and 60 cm deep. Both consist of a crust that tapers at higher elevations, and surface hoar in sheltered areas. No recent activity has been reported on these layers but they continue to be reactive in testing. These layers may become reactive to human triggers during the warming.

Overall, the snow depth remains shallow, hiding early season hazards just below the snow surface.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy with trace amounts of snow possible. Freezing levels rise to 2000 m. Westerly winds, 20-30 km/h.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. Westerly winds, 20-30 km/h. Freezing levels spike to 2500 m in the afternoon (close to 3000 m in more coastal areas), treeline temperatures of +2 °C.

Monday

Increasing cloud. Southwesterly winds, 30-40 km/h. Freezing levels remain above 2500 m overnight and through Monday, treeline temperatures of +3 °C.

Tuesday

Light snow begins overnight and continues on Tuesday, 5-15 cm is possible above 2000 m as freezing levels remain high. Southerly winds, 30-40 km/h.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • If triggered loose wet avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.