Vancouver Island

Sustained high freezing levels make loose wet avalanches possible at all aspects and elevations. The steeper the terrain, the more likely you are to trigger a loose wet avalanche.

Moderate

• Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Multiple loose wet avalanches up size 2 were reported in the Mt Washington backcountry on Monday. We suspect a widespread natural avalanche cycle occurred during the heavy rain.

A thin crust overlies the recent 30 to 50 cm of wet snow, which has been decimated by heavy rain over the last few days.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally moist and well-bonded, with average depths of 120–170 cm at treeline.

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 4 °C. Freezing level 3200 m.

Wednesday
Cloudy. 1 mm of rain at treeline. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

Thursday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.

Friday
Sunny. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 12 °C. Freezing level 3700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling, and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
• Keep in mind that the high density of wet avalanches can make them destructive.