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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 2nd, 2024–Mar 3rd, 2024

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Watch for strong sunshine, even brief periods can rapidly increase avalanche danger and produce natural avalanches.

Expect changing conditions as you shift aspect and elevation.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Observations are currently limited, however we expect rider triggering is still possible.

Avalanche activity was observed Thursday to size 2.5, with the largest slabs reported from wind loaded features.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 90 cm of recent snow has been wind affected in exposed terrain. This sits over wind-affected surfaces and 30 to 60 cm of settling snow in sheltered areas. In some areas sunshine hascreated heavy snow or a surface crust.

Multiple weak layers exist in the mid snowpack. The first, a layer of a crust, facets and/or surface hoar is buried around 100 cm deep. The second, a widespread crust with facets above is buried around 130 cm deep. These layers will need time to adjust to the new snow load.

The storm snow and buried weak layers have produced recent large avalanche activity. Although natural avalanche activity may taper off, it will remain possible to human-trigger it for some time afterward.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with possible flurries. 30-40 km/h southwest winds. Freezing level drops to valley bottom.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 10-20 km/h southwest winds. Treeline temperature -6 °C. The freezing level hovers around 900 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud, with up to 5 cm of snow possible. 20-30 km/h southwest winds. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level around 700 m.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 30-50 km/h northwest winds. Treeline temperature -9 °C. Freezing levels around 500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • Brief periods of sun could quickly initiate natural avalanche activity.

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.

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.