Vancouver Island

Snow is on the way as freezing levels finally drop!

Watch for rapid loading on steep alpine slopes.

• Pay attention to isolated wind affected features in the alpine, as well as cross-loaded features at treeline.
• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 30 cm of new snow.

With the thin early-season snowpack, there are few backcountry reports and no recent avalanche observations.

If you head into the mountains, please share any observations or photos on the MIN.

Freezing levels are finally dropping, with snow reaching treeline Monday night into Tuesday. A brief rise to around 1600 m Tuesday afternoon may bring some rain, leaving 10 to 30 cm of wet new snow. Cooler temperatures and more consistent snowfall are expected in the following days.

This new snow is falling on a very thin base: just 20 to 50 cm of rain-soaked snow above 1000 m and bare ground below.

The shallow snowpack has made for challenging travel and access to most skiing/riding areas.

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Tuesday
Cloudy. Mixed precipitation with 10 to 30 cm of snow at treeline elevations before freezing levels rise and another 5 to 15 mm of rain falls. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 15 to 30 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 15 to 30 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.