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

Jan 9th, 2026–Jan 10th, 2026

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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Cariboos, South Columbia, Blue River, Clearwater, Quesnel, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, Dogtooth, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold.

A buried layer of surface hoar has been producing natural and human triggered avalanches. Stick to low consequence terrain and be wary of steep, convex slopes.

Confidence

High

  • The number, quality, or consistency of field observations is good, and supports our confidence.
  • The snowpack structure is generally well understood.

Avalanche Summary

In the past 3 days, widespread avalanche activity has been observed on a recently buried layer of surface hoar on a variety of aspects at all elevations. Avalanches have been an average of size 2, with some natural and explosive triggered avalanches up to size 3. Many have been triggered by humans, including several remotely triggered from ridgetops or low angle terrain.

Snowpack Summary

60 to 100+ cm of recent snow rests on a problematic layer of surface hoar that was buried January 2nd. The recent snow has been affected by moderate southwesterly wind in open areas at treeline and in the alpine.

The prominent mid-December crust is buried 100 to 150cm deep, and is present up to 2300 m. Triggering this layer is considered unlikely, except with large loads or in thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 15 to 35 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1500 to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

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.