Avalanche Forecast
Regions: East Island, North Island, South Island, Vancouver Island, West Island.
Heavy rain overnight on Friday will create a weak, sloppy snowpack.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No avalanche activity has been reported in the past week.
Following Friday night's heavy rain, the biggest thing to look out for will be weak, uncohesive wet snow that could create wet loose avalanches on steep slopes.
If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network (MIN) report.
Snowpack Summary
Heavy rain will continue to percolate through a dense, well-settled snowpack. As rain transitions to snow on Saturday, up to 10 cm of new snow accumulation is possible.
A thick melt-freeze crust may be found 45 to 60 cm from the surface.
Snow depths at treeline vary across the region, 250 cm is reported near Mt. Washington, 180 cm near Elk Mountain, and 150 cm near Mt Cain. This rain will continue to shrink snowpack depths.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Cloudy with 20 to 90 mm of precipitation. 70 to 100 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level 3000 m dropping to 2000 m. Treeline temperature +3°C.
Saturday
Cloudy with up to 8 mm of precipitation. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level drops to 1200 m. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 15 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Keep in mind that the high density of wet avalanches can make them destructive.
- Carefully manage your exposure to overhead hazards.
Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
A weak, rain-saturated snowpack is likely to produce natural and human-triggered loose wet avalanches on steep slopes.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5