Northwest Coastal

Incoming snow and winds will drive avalanche danger up early in the week.

Fair - Due to the number of field observations

Light snow is expected to begin late Monday. On Tuesday, light to moderate snow (10-25 cm) is expected. On Wednesday, another 10-20 cm is expected. Snowfall amounts could be more near the coast and in the far north. Ridgetop winds are moderate to strong southerly. The freezing level is expected to hover around 1000 m, rising towards 1200 m on Wednesday.For more details check out avalanche.ca/weather

No recent avalanches have been reported. On Friday, a large explosive triggered a size 3 slab which may have failed on an early season crust/ facet layer. A natural avalanche cycle occurred in the north of the region on Thursday, with several loose, moist avalanches below about 1700 m, and some isolated storm or wind slabs in the alpine to size 2.5.

The snowpack is highly variable across different aspects and elevations. So far, we only have limited information from the field. Initial reports suggest that there is around 150 cm at 2000 m. Recent winds have scoured exposed slopes, and left variable wind slabs and crusts. In some places, a crust/facet interface or surface hoar can be found in the upper snowpack. At high elevations, a crust which formed early season may exist near the base of the snowpack. Incoming snow may bond poorly to this cornucopia of surfaces.