Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 31st, 2024–Jan 1st, 2025

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Heightened avalanche conditions exist on wind-loaded terrain features where a cohesive slab has formed over a crust. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, our field team observed a natural size 2 slab avalanche on a north aspect at 1100m. The slab was 20-30 cm deep and failed on the facets above the crust.

If you head out in the mountains, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 30 cm of facetted snow sits over a crust. In the Powder Valley, surface hoar was observed sitting over the crust in a recent MIN report.

Despite the presence of faceted grains in the lower snowpack, there are no layers of concern below the crust. Snowpack depths range from about 70 to 180 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday night

Clear. 30 to 50 km/h east winds. Mild inversion developing; treeline temperature -15 °C.

Wednesday

Sunny. 40 to 60 km/h east winds. Inversion; alpine temperature -10°C, valley bottom -20 °C.

Thursday

Sunny. Outflows easing 40 to 20 km/h. Inversion; alpine temperature -12°C, valley bottom -23 °C.

Friday

Mostly sunny. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Inversion; alpine temperature -15°C, valley bottom -25 °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.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for 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.