Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 17th, 2019–Apr 18th, 2019

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland.

New snow and strong wind are in the forecast for Thursday. For the southern half of the region, the freezing level will rise over the day, turning the snow to rain. Travel conservatively to avoid fresh wind slabs and loose wet avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate - Freezing levels are uncertain

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level 1700 m.

THURSDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 10 to 20 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine temperature -1 C, freezing level 1800 m rising to 2500 m in the south of the region.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with rain switching to snow, accumulation 10 mm rain followed by 5 to 10 cm of snow, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level 2400 m dropping to 1700 m.

SATURDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, light to moderate northwest wind, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level 1800 m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Tuesday. Avalanche activity should increase on Thursday as the incoming storm pummels the Coast Mountains.

If you have any recent observations during your travels, we would greatly appreciate it if you posted a photo or any other information to the Mountain Information Network (MIN). Thanks!

Snowpack Summary

Above 1800 m, around 20 to 30 cm of new snow will accumulate on Thursday with associated strong southwest wind, forming new slabs. The freezing level will rise Thursday afternoon in the southern half of the region, dropping rain onto this new snow up to around 2500 m. Below 1800 m, the snowpack is saturated and rapidly melting from rain and warm air.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.