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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 20th, 2023–Mar 21st, 2023

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

The upper snowpack continues to adjust to the recent spring-like weather. Watch for surface snow turning wet and be wary of cornices.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Over the weekend a number of loose wet avalanches to size 2.5 were observed on east to southwest aspects. As well as a couple of natural cornice failures.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A melt-freeze crust has formed on all aspects at treeline and below and solar aspects at all elevations. Up to 40 cm of dry, unconsolidated powder snow remains on the surface in northerly-facing terrain in the alpine.

In shallower snowpack areas the mid and lower snowpack is dominated by a series of crusts and facets. While the mid and lower snowpack in deeper areas is generally settled and bonding, with minimal concerns.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Cloudy, clearing by the morning. Treeline temperatures 0 to -5 C. Light east ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 1000 m.

Tuesday

Sunny. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Light east ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 1900 m.

Wednesday

Sunny. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Light southerly ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 1900 m.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud, with a chance of isolated flurries. Treeline temperatures 0 to -5 C. Light southerly ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.