Spring-like conditions persist across the South Coast. Avalanche hazard is closely linked to warming, rain, and/or sun especially at higher elevations in the North of the region where it may have been possible to find cooler snow until recently.
Confidence
Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Freezing levels will remain high until a cold front brings moderate precipitation and lowering freezing levels to the coast. A week ridge is expected to build over the province by Sunday causing a return to cooler and drier conditions. The freezing level on Friday is forecast to peak at 3000m with showers starting in the afternoon and light to moderate winds from the southwest. Showers will continue into Saturday as the freezing level falls to 2000m and winds become more westerly. Northwesterly winds on Sunday will mean continued cooling with isolated showers and/or flurries above 1500m expected.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche have been reported recently although I expect wind slabs could be reactive in the high alpine and loose wet avalanche are probably still popping off bellow the freezing level and on steep alpine slopes that see brief periods of sun.
Snowpack Summary
5-10 cm of new snow has fallen since the weekend in the high alpine where moderate to strong southwest winds have formed isolate pockets of windslabs. In the south of the region around 40-50 cm of snow sits above the supportive rain crust from early February. Further north the crust is buried closer to 1m down. The snow is moist below 2000m and a breakable melt-freeze curst might be encountered in between 1400m to 1900m. The snow is reported to be saturated at lower elevations and reports suggest that stumps and creeks are exposed closer to valley bottom.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.