Avalanche forecast

South Coast

Feb 21 – 22, 2017Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 10 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Watch for lingering wind slabs in high north facing terrain and loose sluffing on steep sun exposed slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Reactive wind slabs may still be lingering in high north facing terrain.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    It may be possible to trigger loose sluffs on steep sun exposed slopes during the heat of the afternoon.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Lingering flurries are possible Wednesday morning and sunny conditions are expected Wednesday afternoon. Alpine wind is expected to be light from the west and treeline temperatures are forecast to be around -5C. Similar conditions are expected for Thursday and Friday with mostly sunny skies, light alpine wind, and treeline temperatures remaining around -5C.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported recently. On Wednesday, lingering wind slabs are the main concern. Look for these in immediately leeward features on northerly aspects in exposed high elevation terrain. Sluffing from steep sun exposed slopes is also possible during the heat of the afternoon.

Snowpack Summary

At higher elevations, the widespread mid-February rain crust is now down around 30-50 cm. Recent reports suggest the recent snow is well bonded to the crust. Below the crust, the snowpack is likely still moist or wet as a result of the heavy rain from last week.  Moderate southerly wind during the storm may have formed wind slabs at ridge crests.

Regions covered