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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 18th, 2023–Apr 19th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Continue practicing safe travel habits, including staying well back from cornices.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

A few small loose avalanches were observed in the region over past few days, generally being triggered by the sun.

Looking forward, small wet loose avalanches could be triggered during periods of sunny skies but they are unlikely to impact riders. Use plenty of caution along alpine ridges, where cornices may be very large.

Snowpack Summary

Around 5 to 10 cm of dry snow overlies a hard melt-freeze crust. The snow may moisten on sun-exposed slopes during sunny conditions.

The remainder of the snowpack is strong with varying hard snow layers and bonded melt-freeze crusts. Cornices are very large along alpine ridges.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with no precipitation, 20 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -7 °C.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy and afternoon clouds with isolated flurries, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, 10 to 20 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1500 m.

Thursday

Partly cloudy with isolated flurries, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, 10 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1500 m.

Friday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm, 30 to 40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.