Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Inland
Watch for areas where wind and storm snow have formed cohesive slabs above the recently buried crust/ surface hoar layer. A release near the surface may step down to a deeper layer.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Caution on steep slopes and convex rolls at where a crust/surface hoar layer has been buried.
- Be careful with wind loaded areas, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Weak layers buried in the snowpack have produced recent avalanches with very light triggers particularly on unsupported features at treeline and below.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, or cracking at lower elevations.
- Avoid shallow or thick to thin snowpack areas where triggering a deeper layer is more likely.
Avalanche Summary
On Wednesday there was a report of a skier-triggered Size 1 wind slab avalanche on a northwesterly aspect at 1650 m in the northern part of the region, east of Ningunsaw.
Tuesday there were reports of easily-triggered wind slabs 30-40 cm deep releasing to Size 1 in wind-loaded areas near ridge crests in the alpine in the southern part of the region.
On Monday there were reports from areas north of Kispiox of reactive storm slabs up to size 1.5 and 25 cm deep releasing with skier traffic on steeper, convex terrain.
Reports from late last week showed a notable increase in persistent slab activity at lower elevations in the Howson Range. In this area, three Size 2 releases failed on steeper terrain with remote triggers on the mid-December weak layer, found 50 cm below the surface.
Snowpack Summary
Recent light snowfalls have gradually brought from 20-60 cm of new snow across the region. This new snow has buried the mid-January interface which features a crust that exists well into the alpine and isolated pockets of surface hoar in sheltered areas at lower alpine and treeline elevations.
Below the mid-January interface, deeper weak layers in the snowpack include crusts and surface hoar layers that were buried late-December and mid-December and now lie 50-80 cm below the surface.
Recent persistent slab activity over a surface hoar and facet 'combo' at low elevations suggests that a dangerous persistent slab problem may be developing as the mid and upper snowpack consolidate into a stiffer slab over this layer.
Weather Forecast
TONIGHT: Light flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind light, southeast. Temperature -12. Freezing level valley bottom.
FRIDAY: Cloudy, light flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind light, southwest. Temperature -11. Freezing level valley bottom.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind light to moderate, east. Temperature -12. Freezing level valley bottom.
SUNDAY: Snow. Accumulation 5-15cm. Ridge wind strong, southeast. Temperature -12. Freezing level valley bottom. Alpine inversion.
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Recent storm snow has formed reactive slabs above the most recent crust/ surface hoar interface. Winds earlier in the week have also created pockets of wind slab in leeward areas in the alpine and at treeline.