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

Dec 19th, 2024–Dec 20th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Continuously assess conditions as you gain elevation.

Rider triggerable storm slabs could be found at higher elevations where forecasted precipitation is likely to fall as snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle took place overnight on December 17th. In the alpine storm slab avalanches up to size 2 were observed and at lower elevations wet loose avalanches up to size 1.5 were observed.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN)

Snowpack Summary

In the alpine, up to 40 cm of new snow may have fallen by early morning on the 20th. This new snow will be accompanied by moderate to strong southerly winds which will form deeper deposits on northerly aspects. A prominent crust can be found on the surface due to ongoing scouring from southerly winds.

The upper snowpack at treeline and below is saturated from recent rain.

Snow depths taper substantially below 1000 m.

Weather Summary

Thursday NightCloudy with 30 to 40 mm of mixed precipitation. 30 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 2200 m.FridayCloudy with 10 to 20 mm of rain. 20 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 2300 m.

Saturday

Increasing cloud throughout the day with10 to 20 mm of mixed precipitation. 30 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 2100 m in the morning and falling throughout the day to 1300 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 mm of mixed precipitation. 50 to 80 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Don't let storm day fever lure you into consequential terrain.
  • Avoid lee and cross-loaded slopes in the alpine.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.