Avalanche Forecast

A short burst of southeast wind on Monday

Sunday night: Cloudy, 5-15 cm of snow above 500 m, winds shifting to southeast and increasing to moderate, treeline temperatures near -4 C. 

Monday: Cloudy, 5-15 cm of snow above 600 m, moderate southeast winds easing to light, treeline temperatures near -4 C.

Tuesday: Mainly cloudy, light southwest winds, treeline temperatures near -6 C, freezing level around 400 m.

Wednesday: Cloudy, 5-15 cm of snow over 500 m, moderate south winds, treeline temperatures near -4 C.

A natural avalanche cycle occurred in the early morning hours on Saturday. We received a report of several small (size 1) avalanches releasing 20 cm deep in the storm snow in the North Shore Mountains.

Bands of localized precipitation are forecast to bring another 10-30 cm of snow to the mountains by late Monday. A shift in wind direction from the southwest to southeast may form fresh wind slabs in a tricky cross-loading pattern at upper elevations. Pay attention to changing conditions as you move into wind-exposed terrain. It may be possible to trigger wind slabs in lee terrain features, such as down-wind of ridges and roll-overs. 

An impressive storm over the weekend brought 50-90 cm of snow to the mountains. A gradual rise in temperature during the storm formed a thin crust layer that can be found in areas up to 1400 m. An additional 30-60 cm of snow has accumulated above this mid-storm crust layer since temperatures have cooled. Strong southwest winds 

Below the early December crust layers, the snowpack is generally well-settled. With this storm event, a greater number of areas below treeline are meeting threshold snow depths for avalanches. 

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Be aware of highly variable recent wind loading patterns.
• Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.