Regions
Vancouver Island.
Confidence
Moderate - limited field observations
Travel & Terrain Advice
Following a period of warming and now cooling in the forecast, surface conditions will become hard and conditions for slips and long falls will present. Utilize low angle terrain to manage travel during this period.
Avalanche Summary
No new natural or human trigger avalanches over the last 24 hours
Snowpack Summary
Precipitation in the form of rain has loosened and unconsolidated the upper snow pack. Beginning late Sunday temperatures began to drop and the upper snow pack began to tighten (strengthen) with a melt freeze crust forming. This surface melt freeze crust will be found on all aspects and elevation from the alpine to below treeline. mid and lower snow pack are well settled.
Snowpack Details
Surface: Moist becoming freeze conditions. Upper: Settled wet grains. Mid: Well settled. Lower: Well settled.
Past Weather
Warm and moist conditions with freezing levels breaching the 2500 meter mark and alpine temperatures rising well above zero. Light to moderate rain fall persisted with leading edge western mountainous zones receiving in excess of 50 mm.
Weather Forecast
A strengthening high pressure to the south west of the region will still allow a few weak pacific bands to slip by bringing to the region some alpine showers, cooling conditions and light to moderate South westerly wind conditions.Monday: 5 mm of precipitation, temps 0 rising to +2, winds light to moderate Sw becoming Light Nw late in the afternoon, freezing level to 500-1200 m.Tuesday: 5 mm of precipitation, temps -3 rising to +2, winds moderate Sw, freezing level 500-1200 m.Wednesday: 5-10 mm of rain, temps +3 rising to +5, winds moderate Sw, freezing level 1800 m rising to 2500 m mid day.
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.