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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 9th, 2024–Dec 10th, 2024

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Shuswap, Crawford, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Retallack, Valhalla.

Storm snow may take time to bond with the crust or surface hoar below.

Be cautious on steep slopes -wind slabs may form at higher elevations, and loose snow sluffs easily in sheltered areas

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday explosive and rider triggered avalanches were reported to size 1.5. Storm snow was generally less reactive to rider traffic, with widespread loose dry sluffing reported on the buried rain crust in sheltered areas, see below.

Snowpack Summary

Storm totals vary from 15-35 cm throughout the region, with wind effect found at higher elevations.

A widespread rain crust (shown in the photo below) sits below the storm snow, observed at treeline and below treeline elevations. The crust has formed a bed surface for slab avalanche activity and sluffing; it likely extends to mountain top but observations are limited.

Surface hoar may still be present at this interface, in areas that received minimal rainfall early in the storm which is more likely in the far north of the region.

The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled, dense, and generally strong. Treeline snow depths range from 100 to 150 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mostly clear skies. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -10 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny with increasing afternoon cloud. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with 3-6 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.

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.