Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible - Likely
- Size
- 1–2
Where dry storm snow exists, strong southwest wind may form fresh, reactive wind slabs in lee areas.
Avalanche forecast
View on mapNorthwest Inland
Dec 7 – 8, 2024Avalanche Canada
Archived · expired 2 years ago
Avalanche danger
Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Highlights
Recent rain has ravaged the region.
If you travel to higher elevations in search of dry snow, be cautious in wind-loaded areas. Recently formed wind slabs may be reactive to human-triggering
Avalanche problems
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A natural avalanche cycle occurred a few days ago as rain and warm temperatures infiltrated the region. Slab avalanches up to size 3 were observed in the Smithers and Seaton areas.
If you head to the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
New snow accumulates atop a crust or moist snow from rain in the past few days. Strong winds will create heavily wind-affected surfaces and redistribute new snow into fresh wind slabs.
We suspect two surface hoar layers in the mid-snowpack have been cleaned out by the rain.
Deeper in the snowpack, a rain crust from early November seems to be bonding well to the surrounding snow.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Cloudy with up to 3 cm of new snow. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 15 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 15 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
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.