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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 3rd, 2024–Dec 4th, 2024

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Howson, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Above-zero temperatures will keep the soggy upper snowpack primed for human triggering even as natural avalanche activity tapers off. Stick to low angle terrain and avoid overhead hazard.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed, but reports have been extremely limited. We suspect a large natural avalanche cycle to have run during the peak of the rain storm. Looking forward to Wednesday, wet avalanches will likely remain triggerable by riders.

If you head to the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

After Tuesday night, the upper snowpack has been soaked by rain at most elevations. On peaks above 2300 m, 40 to 70 cm of recent storm snow may have escaped the rain and instead been redistributed over firm surfaces by strong southwest winds.

We'll need to reassess whether two surface hoar layers in the mid snowpack have survived or been cleaned out by the rain.

Deeper in the snowpack, a rain crust from early November seems to be bonding well to surrounding snow.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

5 to 10 mm of rain below 2300 m. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level between 2300 and 2500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, scattered flurries with no significant accumulation. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level around 2200 m.

Thursday

Scattered flurries bringing up to 5 cm then clearing to a mix of sun and cloud. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level around 1700 m.

Friday

5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level around 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • Keep in mind that the high density of wet avalanches can make them destructive.

Problems

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.

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.