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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 15th, 2026–Apr 16th, 2026

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

Regions

Haines Pass, Chilkat Pass.

Use extra caution on high north-facing slopes, and around cornices, especially if the sun comes out.

Avalanches on steep, rocky slopes could be surprisingly large.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, our field team reported some pinwheeling on slopes facing the sun.

On Tuesday, sluffing was reported in steep terrain.

On Monday, west of Haines and just south of our forecast area, two human triggered avalanches were reported in northwest facing alpine terrain. One storm slab and one cornice fall.

Snowpack Summary

Light snowfall has been redistributed by variable winds at higher elevations, with a crust on south-facing slopes.

A persistent weak layer of facets and crust is 80 to 150 cm deep in the alpine, and would most likely be triggered by large loads, like a cornice fall, or in thin-to-thick snowpack transitions.

See this AvCan Yukon MIN report report for a detailed conditions update as of Friday, April 10.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday

Mix of sun and clouds. 15 km/h west ridgetop wind, increasing to 30 km/h through the day. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 4 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.