Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Monday

Monday will see mixed weather before a more organized system arrives on Wednesday. Convective activity could result in locally higher accumulations. Temperatures are staying cool for this time of year. MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud and occasional flurries in the afternoon / Light to moderate north west wind / Alpine temperature -9 / Freezing level 1000m TUESDAY: Cloudy with flurries (2-5 cm possible) / Light to moderate south west wind / Alpine temperature -7 / Freezing level 1200m WEDNESDAY: Snow (5-15cm) / Moderate south west wind / Alpine temperature -4 / Freezing level 1400m  

On Saturday two skiers triggered a size 1 wind slab (40cm thick crown) in a down wind (lee) area, north facing aspect near 2060m elevation up Phelix creek. See the MIN post for more details. On Thursday, skiers triggered a size 2 wind slab that caught and carried a skier near Steep Creek in the Duffey zone. Slab thickness was 15-20cm. See this MIN post for more details. On Tuesday there was report of a skier triggered wind slab from the north of the region in the alpine near ridge top running on a layer of facets buried March 21. See this MIN post for more details.

The past four days have seen only 5-15 cm of new snow in most areas (although convective activity on Sunday could produce additional local amounts of 10-15cm). Daytime warming created moist, heavy surface snow on sunny aspects, which refroze to form a crust overnight. Winds picked up on Sunday morning, creating fresh wind slabs on northerly aspects. The newer snow sits on a wide variety of surfaces: hard wind slabs, soft wind slabs on shady aspects, and the melt-freeze crusts on sunny aspects. Snow from a week ago sits on a deeper crust that is present at all elevations on sunny aspects as well as low elevation northerly aspects. On northerly and east aspects at treeline and alpine elevations the storm snow sits on a mix of large surface hoar and or facets.In the south of the region, around the Coquihalla and in Manning Park, the last storm snow overlies a recent crust that caps a well settled snowpack.