Give the new storm snow a chance to settle and stick to simple terrain. Cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making are essential.
Heavy snowfall and strong winds on Saturday created reactive storm slabs. The southern and western Island received the most snow and have the highest hazard, while the northern and eastern areas saw less snow and may have lower danger.
On Saturday, several storm slab avalanches sized 1 to 1.5, were ski cut near Mt.Washington.
On Friday, our field team reported shooting cracks from their skis on Mt.Cokely.
We expect that a widespread large avalanche cycle occurred Saturday in areas that received significant precipitation and wind. Natural avalanche activity is forecast to decrease Sunday as the storm tapers off on Saturday night. We predict human triggering to remain likely.
Heavy snowfall of over 60 cm accumulated in some areas on the western and southern Island, with lesser amounts of 20 to 30 cm elsewhere. More precipitation is expected to fall overnight Saturday.
Strong to extreme southeasterly winds have scoured windward slopes in many areas, creating deep deposits far downslope in leeward areas. These areas should be avoided until the storm snow has a chance to bond.
The mid snowpack is made up of a series of crusts with moist snow between. The lower snowpack is well-settled with no layers of concern.
Total snow depths at treeline vary across Vancouver Island, from 230 cm near Mt. Washington, to 130 cm near Mt Cain.
Saturday night
Cloudy, 1 to 10 cm of snow. 60 to 80 km/h southeast switching to southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with 0 to 3 cm. 25 to 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Monday
Cloudy with 3 to 12 cm of snow. 45 to 65 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level around 1300 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
