The danger rating reflects snowfall forecast for the Coquihalla area. Elsewhere, avalanche danger may be a step (or two) lower. Make observations and assess conditions as you travel.
Storm slabs will continue to develop throughout the day at elevations where precipitation falls as snow. Widespread natural avalanche activity is expected with heavy snowfall in the south of the region.
Loose wet avalanches will become increasingly likely as rain soaks the snowpack below 1500 m.
Monday night: Snow, 5-10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine high temperature -1 C, freezing level 1500 m.
Tuesday: Snow, 5-10 cm, 20-30 cm for the Coquihalla, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine high temperature -1 C, freezing level 1600 m.
Wednesday: Snow, 5-10 cm, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperature -2 C, freezing level 1000-1500 m.
Thursday: Clearing, light wind, alpine high temperature -2 C, freezing level 1000-1400 m.
On Monday, natural loose wet avalanche activity was observed size 1-2 at low elevations throughout the region. In the Pemberton Valley, storm slabs size 1-2 were observed initiating at 1600 m and running 1000 m, entraining wet snow. In the Duffey Lake area, a natural size 1.5 wind slab triggered by a cornice failure was observed on a NW aspect in the alpine.
Storm snow continues to accumulate over a variety of surfaces including surface hoar and/or facets in shady, wind sheltered areas, sun crust on solar aspects and hard wind slab in the alpine.
A crust that formed in mid-February is now down around 30-50 cm in the north and 70-90 cm in the south. Recent snowpack tests have shown resistant planar results on this layer in the Duffey Lake area. Another crust/facet layer from late-January is buried down 40-120cm and has shown no results in recent snowpack tests.
