Avalanche Forecast
Regions: East Island, North Island, South Island, Vancouver Island, West Island.
Assess for new slabs before exposing yourself to high-consequence terrain.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
We haven't received any recent reports of avalanche activity. Saturday night's storm will change conditions though. Riders could be able to trigger storm and wind slab avalanches in steep terrain at treeline and alpine elevations, particularly for areas that see more than 20 cm of snow accumulation.
Please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
Snow is forecast Saturday night above 1000 m, which will build over a wettened snow surface and hard melt-freeze crust. Storm slabs could build within this new snow. The snow will come with strong southwest wind, potentially forming wind slabs in lee terrain features.
The remainder of the snowpack is strong.
There is insufficient snow to form avalanches for most below treeline locations.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Cloudy with 15 to 30 cm of snow and the most expected on the west side of the island. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.
Monday
Mostly clear skies. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
- Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
- Avoid terrain traps such as gullies and cliffs where the consequence of any avalanche could be serious.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Saturday night's storm could form new slabs, particularly for areas that receive 20 cm or more of snow. Assess for slab formation and use caution in steep, committing terrain features.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2