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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 14th, 2023–Jan 15th, 2023

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

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Stewart, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Avoid wind loaded terrain, and shallow, rocky start zones. Reactive wind slabs may still exist, and uncertainty about deeper weak layers demands vigilance, and careful terrain selection.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported before 4pm on Saturday.

On Wednesday there was a report of a size two cornice triggered persistent slab avalanche running in steep alpine terrain in the southeast portion of the region. There was also a report of a size 2 persistent slab avalanche on a west aspect at 1700 m on Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

In terrain sheltered from the wind, 10-30 cm of recent snow overlies a layer of weak, feathery surface hoar crystals buried on January 11th. Below 9000 m and on slopes facing the sun, this new snow overlies a thin crust. Recent moderate southerly wind has stripped exposed ridges, and fed wind slab formation in lee terrain features.

Several persistent weak layers may be found in the top meter of the snowpack. These include a surface hoar layer buried on Dec 28 found 40 to 60 cm deep and a facet layer buried on Dec 23 found 60 to 100 cm deep. In alpine terrain, triggering one of these layers is most likely on steep rocky slopes where they present as facets. In treeline terrain, the layers are most likely triggered on steep slopes in open trees where they present as preserved surface hoar.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light South wind. Treeline temperature around -5°C.

Sunday

Cloudy, possible clear periods in the north of the region. 5-10 cm of snow expected. Light south wind. Treeline temperature around -7°C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. Possible trace of snow expected. Light south wind. Treeline temperature around -6°C.

Tuesday

Possible clearing overnight, mostly cloudy through the day. 0-5cm of snow expected, possibly 10cm around Stewart. Alpine wind moderate to strong from the southeast.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing out into complex terrain.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.

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.