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 12th, 2019–Dec 13th, 2019

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

Sea To Sky.

Although the storm has eased off, storm slabs are still likely to be encountered and could be reactive to human triggering, especially in wind loaded areas.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT - Flurries, 5 cm / southwest winds, 20-30 km/h / alpine low temperature near -6 / freezing level 1000 m

FRIDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries / southwest winds 20-30 km/h / alpine high temperature near -6 / freezing level 1000 m

SATURDAY - Cloudy with sunny periods / light southwest winds / alpine high temperature near -7

SUNDAY - A mix of sun and cloud / light northwest winds / alpine high temperature near -8

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, there were several reports of human and explosives triggered avalanches up to size 2. Some of these avalanches stepped down to a weak crust/facet layer that was buried in mid November.

No new avalanches were reported on Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

15-25 cm of new snow likely sits on a weak layer of feathery surface hoar in many areas, as well as sugary faceted snow in some areas. There is a crust from mid November that is now down approximately 45-100 cm. Recent snowpack tests have shown that the snow above the crust is weak and could produce avalanches. The snowpack is unusually shallow and weak for the Sea to Sky region. Snowpack depths range between 80-200 cm and taper quickly at lower elevations.

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.