Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Babine, East Stikine, Hudson Bay, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Northwest Inland, Telkwa.
Wednesday may see wind slab growth at higher elevations as a system begins to arrive in our region.
Assess conditions as you travel through the backcountry and pay attention to the wind.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
On Sunday there was a report of a skier-controlled wind slab in the alpine.
A small storm slab was triggered by a skier on an east aspect in the alpine in the Howson Range Saturday.
Other than these two there have been no new avalanches reported recently.
Snowpack Summary
By the end of the day on Wednesday, parts of our region may see up to 10 cm fall. This will be accompanied by moderate to strong southwest winds creating fresh wind slabs. The new snow and wind slabs will be sitting on a variety of surfaces. On polar slopes, around 20 cm of soft snow from the weekend will be preserved and buried. On solar slopes and at lower elevations, a crust may be what is getting buried.
The middle of the snowpack is strong and contains numerous hard crusts. Near the ground, weak faceted crystals exist. There hasn't been avalanche activity on this layer recently, but it remains on our radar as it may become active with abrupt changes to the snowpack, such as rapid loading (heavy snowfall or rain) or prolonged warming.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Increasing cloud cover, 2 cm accumulation, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 °C.
Wednesday
Cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures around -5 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy, 5 to 10 cm accumulation most of which will arrive by early morning, winds southwest 45 km/h, treeline temperatures getting up to 0 °C.
Friday
Cloudy up to 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 to 35 km/h, treeline temperatures around -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Incoming weather Tuesday night and into Wednesday will see increased southwest winds and snowfall. Wind slabs may form in the immediate lees.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 2