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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 16th, 2023–Mar 17th, 2023

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos, Blue River, Clearwater, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Clemina, North Monashee, Renshaw, Robson.

Warm temperatures and solar radiation will begin to affect the snowpack.

Don't let good riding lure you into high-consequence terrain, especially during the warmest part of the day.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday there were several storm slab avalanches, up to size 2, reported. Of note, some of these were accidentally and remotely triggered. These occurred predominantly on northerly aspects and at all elevations. They released at a depth of 30 to 40 cm and on a surface hoar/crust combo that was buried on March 11th. There is a good chance of more avalanches similar to these out there.

Snowpack Summary

Moderate southerly and westerly winds have redistributed the 20 to 30 cm of recent snow and may have created wind slabs that will remain reactive to human triggers. The sun and warm temperatures are beginning to make their mark on the snowpack. On solar aspects and at lower elevations the top layer of snow may become moist in the afternoons and frozen in the mornings.

Below the new snow are a variety of surfaces. These include surface hoar, 3 to 10 mm, on shady slopes at all elevations, wind-affected surfaces at treeline and above, and sun crust on sunny aspects. These layers are likely to create problems in the future.

The mid-snowpack is generally strong but the lower snowpack is a different story.

The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. They are showing signs of improving but this layer remains a significant concern in rocky, shallow, or thin to thick snowpack areas at treeline and above.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Clear, no accumulation, winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -8 to -4 °C with freezing levels dropping to valley bottom.

Friday

Sunny, no accumulation, winds southeast 15 to 25 km/h, gusting to 30, treeline temperatures -5 to 0 °C with freezing levels getting up to 1700 m.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, no accumulation, winds southerly 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 to 0 °C with freezing levels getting up to 1700 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud, no accumulation, winds southerly 10 to 15 km/h, freezing levels to 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
  • Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.