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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 18th, 2022–Dec 19th, 2022

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

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

This week's cold temperatures coupled with the shortest daylight hours of the year can make any sort of incident (even broken equipment) an epic. If you decide to brave the cold temps make sure you are prepared for the conditions; bring lots of warm layers and a headlamp.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches have been reported in this area recently. If you venture into the backcountry, please submit a MIN report, as it helps to strengthen our data gathering.

Snowpack Summary

Snowpack depths at upper elevations are around 80-100 cm.

Surface: 5 -10 cm of new snow buries previously hard wind-pressed surfaces in the alpine and faceting surfaces in sheltered areas.

Upper-pack: 30 cm of light snow continues to facet with cold temperatures. In exposed areas, you will find a series of old wind slabs and crusts on steep solar slopes.

Mid/lower-pack: Buried 50-70 cm deep, a layer of surface hoar, crust, and faceted crystals. Observations are limited in this region but this layer has produced numerous large avalanches in the neighboring regions. Below this layer, the snowpack is generally weak and faceted.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Scattered cloud clearing overnight. Winds at 1500m will be light northerly gusting to 30 km/h. Expect temperatures near -25 C.

Monday

Mainly sunny. Temperatures at 1500-1800 m will hover near -21 C. Light winds vary in direction throughout the day.

Tuesday

Sunny with cloudy periods and possible isolated flurries. At 1500m temperature will be around -20 C. Light southwest winds increase to strong throughout the day.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and clouds. At 1500 m light winds are northerly and temperatures are around -23 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.

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.