Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 28th, 2022 4:00PM

The alpine rating is low, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low.

Avalanche Canada wlewis, Avalanche Canada

Email

Maintain good travel habits as you head into the mountains. Avalanches are unlikely where a thick crusts exists, but tread carefully on the slippery surface.

Snowfall begins late on Saturday, raising danger ratings for Sunday. 

Summary

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Weather Forecast

Finally we see a return of an active weather pattern. Heavy snowfall is expected on Sunday with cooler temperatures.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Scattered cloud with moderate to strong southwest winds. Freezing levels around 1500 m overnight. Isolated flurries possible. 

SATURDAY: Increasing cloud with strong southwest winds. Isolated flurries are possible. Freezing levels around 1500 m, alpine high of +3. 

SUNDAY: Cloudy with strong southwest winds. Snowfall begins Saturday night delivering 15-25cm by Sunday morning, and an additional 30-60 cm by Sunday afternoon. Freezing levels remain below 1000 m, alpine high of +1. 

MONDAY: Isolated flurries possible. Winds switch to moderate from the northwest. Freezing levels drop below 1000 m. 

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche activity has been reported.

Observations are limited. If you head out into the mountains, please share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A thick crust extends to mountain top. Below the crust, the snow is moist down 50-100 cm where several old crusts are breaking down. At the highest elevations near Squamish, you may find pockets of dry wind affected snow.

Around 150 to 200 cm deep, weak and faceted grains may sit above a melt freeze crust formed during the cold spell in late December. Reports suggest that the snowpack is bonding well to these layers. The middle and lower snowpack are strong, consisting of well-bonded snow and several hard melt-freeze crusts.

Terrain and Travel

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.

Valid until: Jan 29th, 2022 4:00PM