Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Inland
Cold, dry conditions are expected to continue for the weekend. Pockets of lingering wind slabs may still exist in exposed alpine areas.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Watch for stiff or hollow feeling snow, and shooting cracks.
Avalanche Summary
A few small natural wind slabs were reported a week ago in steep south facing terrain west of Smithers. Wind slabs showed some reactivity to human triggers also a week ago, but cold temperatures have likely made them difficult to trigger.
Snowpack Summary
Surface snow has been affected by winds from a variety of directions. The degree of wind effect varies throughout the region, with the most dramatic winds associated with outflow conditions in western parts of the region near coastal inlets. Sheltered areas may still have 10-30 cm of powder from previous storms. A variable weak layer that formed in mid-December can be found roughly 20 cm below the surface. This mid-December layer is comprised of crusts on solar aspects and feathery surface hoar in sheltered locations.
The lower snowpack is generally well settled with two prominent crusts. The late-November crust can be found 30-50 cm below the surface and the October crust is near the base of the snowpack.
For an update on recent conditions check out the Mountain Information Network (MIN) report here. And please submit your own observations to the MIN!
Weather Forecast
Continued cold and clear until light precipitation arrives on Monday.
SUNDAY: Increasing cloud. Ridge wind light west. Temperature -15. Freezing level surface.
MONDAY: Cloudy, isolated flurries. Accumulation 5 cm possible. Ridge wind moderate to strong southwest. Temperature -7. Freezing level 400 m.
TUESDAY: Cloudy. Ridge wind moderate south west. Temperature -3. Freezing level 500m.
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Lingering pockets of wind slab may exist on a range of aspects in alpine terrain as wind directions have varied over the past week.