Avalanche forecast

North Columbia

Apr 21 – 22, 2019Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

New snow and strong winds may create small wind slabs that when in motion, step-down to the recent storm snow, resulting in large avalanches.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    New snow and strong winds on Monday may create fresh wind slabs that ‘step-down’ to the recent storm snow, resulting in large avalanches.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    If temperatures remain warm, loose wet avalanches are still possible on cloudy days due to the ‘green-house’ effect.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear / Light, southwesterly winds / Alpine low -1 C / Freezing level 2200 m.

MONDAY: Rain/alpine flurries; 5-10 mm. / Moderate to strong, southwesterly winds / Alpine high 1 C / Freezing level 2200 m.

TUESDAY: Cloudy with isolated alpine flurries; 1-3 mm. / Light, southwesterly winds / Alpine high 1 C / Freezing level 2200 m.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny / Light, southwesterly winds / Alpine high 2 C / Freezing level 1900 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, numerous, natural loose wet avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported on steep solar aspects at treeline and above in the afternoon.

A widespread storm slab avalanche cycle to size 3.5 on all aspects in the alpine was reported on Friday. Although not in this region, check out this MIN report from Saturday in Glacier National Park HERE.

Snowpack Summary

30-40 mm of rain has soaked the snowpack at treeline and below. The rain/snow boundary on Friday was around 2100 m. New snow amounts in the alpine will taper rapidly with elevation and likely equate to around 15-25 cm of moist snow at upper elevations adding to the 20-40 cm recent snow which overlies a crust everywhere except high elevation, north facing terrain where preserved surface hoar (weak, feathery crystals) may be present in isolated locations down 30-60 cm. A similar layer buried in early April is down 50-80 cm. Smaller storm slab avalanches may step down to one of these deeper weak layers.

Below treeline, snow is disappearing rapidly.

Regions covered