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

Apr 2nd, 2024–Apr 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

The new storm snow will take time to settle.

Start with conservative lines and watch for clues of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Over the past weekend, several rider-triggered wind slabs were reported from north-facing alpine terrain (size 1-1.5). The likelihood of avalanches will peak on Tuesday night with ongoing strong winds and rain turning into snow.

Snowpack Summary

At lower elevations, rain has created a moist snow surface. New snow will accumulate over moist snow or a crust on all aspects and elevations except north-facing alpine where the snow remains dry.

The facet/crust layer that produced large avalanches during early March is buried 150-250 cm deep and is currently considered unreactive.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 15 to 20 cm of new snow expected. Ridgetop winds southwest, 40 to 60 km/h. Treeline temperature drops to -5 °C. Freezing level dropping to 800 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated convective flurries. Ridgetop winds southwest, 20 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level rising to 1200 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop winds northeast, 30 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop winds northeast, 10 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature +2° C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.

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.