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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 1st, 2012–Jan 2nd, 2012

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

Regions

South Coast.

Confidence

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertainfor the entire period

Weather Forecast

Monday: 5-7cm of snow arriving late in the day / moderate to strong southwest winds / freezing level at 1400mTuesday: Light to moderate snowfall throughout the day / strong southwest winds / freezing level at 1400mWednesday: moderate to heavy snowfall / strong south winds / freezing level at 1400m

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in the past 24 hours.

Snowpack Summary

The past week's storm snow totals are now in the 60-90cm range. Strong southerly winds shifted snow into wind slabs on lee slopes in the alpine and at treeline. The past weekend saw a break in the weather and the upper snowpack may have strengthened, but only marginally. Expect further wind and storm slab development throughout the forecast period.Below the recent storm snow, three weaknesses exist in the mid snowpack. A surface hoar layer formed in early December overlies facets and is down about 60cm. It is giving easy, sudden collapse results in snowpack tests.A second surface hoar layer buried around Christmas is also giving easy, sudden planar results.A crust/facet combo which exists to around treeline, buried on December 17th, adds to the complexity of the snowpack and has shown the potential to propagate widely.Persistent weaknesses seem to be more of a concern around the Duffey Lake area than in the Cascades (Coquihalla and Allison Pass).The lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

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.

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.