Avalanche Forecast
North Columbia
Isolated wind slabs at higher elevations are the main concern right now. Remain vigilant around cornices, and minimize overhead exposure.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for wind loaded pockets near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.
- Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Avalanche Summary
A widespread natural avalanche cycle to size 3.5 occurred over the past four days. These avalanches were primarily wet loose avalanches on sunny aspects; however, some did step down to the mid-February layer (with 50-70 cm crowns) on southerly aspects.
Snowpack Summary
The main story over the past several days has been the sun's effect on south and west facing slopes. Daytime heating has resulted in moist or wet snow on sunny aspects, freezing to form a crust overnight.
On north and east facing slopes, cold dry snow can still be found and it sits on a well-settled snowpack.
Deeper persistent weak layers from January and December are generally considered dormant, but could wake up with a surface avalanche stepping down, cornice fall, or a human trigger in a shallow or variable-depth snowpack area. These layers consist of sun crust, surface hoar and/or facets.
Weather Forecast
We're looking at small amounts of new snow and slightly warmer than normal temperatures throughout the forecast period. Scattered convective activity on Thursday and Friday could result in locally higher snowfall totals.
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with wet flurries in the afternoon (5 cm, with 10 cm possible in the Monashees). Light to moderate south west winds. Freezing level falling to 1700 metres late in the day, with alpine high temperatures of +2.
THURSDAY: Scattered flurries (2-5cm possible). Light northerly winds. Freezing level around 1600 metres with alpine high temperatures around 0 degrees.
FRIDAY: Scattered flurries (2-5cm possible). Light northerly winds. Freezing level 1300 metres with alpine high temperatures of 0 degrees.
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Wind slabs formed during last week's storm and may remain reactive in isolated locations - their distribution is variable. Extra caution is needed on solar aspects where sunshine could act as a natural trigger and buried sun crust as a sliding layer.