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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 28th, 2024–Jan 29th, 2024

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Jordan, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Whatshan.

Avoid avalanche terrain. Stick to low angle slopes with no overhead hazard.

We expect a natural avalanche cycle will Occur throughout the day.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Over the past week, we've seen consistent avalanche activity on the mid January facet layer detailed in the snowpack summary. Widely propagating slabs have been triggered naturally, by riders and even remotely, size 1.5-2.5. This activity is expected to continue with additional snow/rain load this weekend.

Snowpack Summary

Light snowfall continues to accumulate in the alpine and be redistributed by southerly winds. Elevated freezing levels and rain have moistened the surface at treeline and below.

A layer of facets formed during the mid January cold snap can be found down 30-60 cm. This layer has been actively producing avalanches and is expected to continue as it is stressed by the new load.

In the Selkirks, another crust/facet/surface hoar layer buried in early January, now 60-90 cm deep remains on the radar.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of new snow expected in the alpine, south alpine wind 25 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 1800 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with light rain expected, southwest alpine wind 25 to 50 km/h, freezing level rising to around 3000 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow in the alpine, southwest alpine wind 40 to 60 km/h, freezing level around 2600 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of snow in the alpine, south alpine wind 25 to 50 km/h, freezing level around 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Keep in mind that wet avalanches can be destructive due to their high density.
  • The likelihood of deep persistent slab avalanches will increase with each day of warm weather.

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.

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.

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.