| FRI 01 |  | -26 | -30 | - | - | 69 | 101.30 | 14 | unlimited |
| FRI 01 |  | -12 | -13 | -24 | S 44 | 92 | 100.77 | 16 | 4500 |
Snowfall to hike BC avalanche risk
AVALANCHE: THE WHITE DEATHAccording to the Canadian Avalanche Centre, this past year Canada has experienced the deadliest beginning to the avalanche season on record. As of January 2008, there have been ten fatalities since the start of the avalanche season.
TagsSkiers are being warned to take extreme care as deaths from avalanches threaten to reach record levels. Even before the peak holiday months of February and March, the number of avalanche deaths in Italy and Austria has exceeded the total for the whole of last winter.
Heavy snowfalls in December and January have been greeted with delight by skiers, but excellent conditions come at a cost. Research by Escape reveals that as of last Thursday, 39 people had been killed in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Austria alone has had 18 fatalities, one more than last year's total.
'We're expecting more deaths every weekend,' said Ingo Kroath, manager of the Innsbruck-based Austrian Board of Alpine Safety. 'The situation is very dangerous at the moment and isn't going to improve until March or April.'
France has recorded eight deaths, double the number at the same time last season, and the situation across the Atlantic is just as bad. The death toll in both Canada and the US has already exceeded the total for last winter.
An often deadly quest for perfect powder
Los Angeles Times Two months into the winter sports season, avalanches have claimed 26 lives nationwide, including three near Mountain High Resort this weekend, in what officials warn may be a record year for mountain fatalities.
But even a seemingly innocuous snowpack can hide tragedy: Layers of snowfall, often interspersed with ice, can slough off at the slightest disturbance.
Avalanche experts say average annual death tolls have edged up from 20 to 25 over the last decade and are likely to increase as more people with better technology and a new "extreme sports" mentality venture into remote areas in search of untrammeled powder.
"There have been avalanche fatalities since people have been in the West and in the Alps, but what has changed is the equipment has gotten better and there's a lot of hype associated with the outdoor retail industry," said Sue Burak, an avalanche forecaster for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center. "They're encouraging people to go out, and the level of backcountry skills haven't caught up with the technology."
Every avalanche fatality this year, except for one in Utah, involved a person who was skiing, snowmobiling or snowboarding outside of designated areas or in wilderness, with the majority of the deaths in backcountry. Only 1% of all avalanche deaths in the United States occurred within the bounds of skiing or snowboarding resorts. About 11% were out-of-bounds deaths, and the rest were in backcountry.
| Monday Morning | Monday Afternoon | Monday Evening | Monday Overnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | |  | |
| Temperature | -31°C | -29°C | -31°C | -39°C |
| Condition | Flurries | Cloudy with sunny breaks | Cloudy periods | Clear |
| P.O.P. | 40% | 20% | 10% | 0% |
| Feels Like | -46 | -42 | - | - |
| Wind | N 25km/h | NW 20km/h | NW 10km/h | NE 5km/h |
| Humidity | 65% | 64% | 68% | 79% |
| Snow | trace | - | - | - |
From Monday Morning to Monday Overnight we expect trace of snow.
| Tuesday Jan 29 | Wednesday Jan 30 | Thursday Jan 31 | Friday Feb 1 | Saturday Feb 2 | Sunday Feb 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |  |  | | | |
| High | -29°C | -28°C | -26°C | -20°C | -12°C | -16°C |
| Condition | Sunny | Sunny | Cloudy periods | Variable cloudiness | Cloudy | Mainly sunny |
| P.O.P. | 0% | 0% | 10% | 20% | 30% | 10% |
| Wind | SE 10 km/h | S 10 km/h | E 10 km/h | NW 5 km/h | S 5 km/h | S 10 km/h |
| Low | -39°C | -34°C | -34°C | -27°C | -21°C | -23°C |
An Alberta Clipper zipping through the Midwest today will bring snow to the East over the next few days, with a new shot of arctic air following close behind. Meanwhile, rain and snow continue today along the West Coast. 
The Winter Weather Center reports that the heaviest snow will fall on the northern tip of Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.