Coquihalla

Fresh wind slabs will continue building throughout Wednesday.These slabs will be most reactive on steep, north through easterly slopes near ridgetops.

A small rider-triggered avalanche occurred near Needle Peak on Monday. See photo below.

Looking ahead, we expect rider-triggerable wind slabs to remain possible, especially near ridges and on leeward slopes.

Observations have been limited in this region. If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

25 to 40 cm of new snow has accumulated at upper elevations since Saturday. At lower elevations much of this precipitation fell as rain.

A further 5 to 10 cm is expected overnight and through Wednesday, accompanied by strong southerly ridgetop winds. This will likely create widespread wind affect in open areas and build fresh wind slabs throughout the day.

Below treeline, a crust or moist snow will likely be observed on the surface.

Snow depths at treeline vary across the region. Around 140 cm is reported in the Coquihalla and 85 cm near Manning Park.

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 2 to 8cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1200 m dropping to 700 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 700 m rising to 1400 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Friday

Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.