Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Freezing levels on Thursday are uncertain. As a result, forecast precipitation may come in as a combination of rain (low elevation), snow (high alpine) and/or freezing rain (between 1000-1300m).
Confidence
Low - Freezing levels are uncertain
Weather Forecast
THURSDAY: Cloudy with isolated freezing rain or flurries / Light to moderate south wind / Alpine temperature -1 FRIDAY: Flurries, accumulation 5-10cm / Moderate to strong south wind / Alpine temperature 0 SATURDAY: Flurries, accumulation 10-15cm / Moderate to strong south wind / Alpine temperature -4
Avalanche Summary
Recent avalanche activity has been reported as small loose dry avalanches in steep terrain on all aspects along with isolated wind slab avalanches on east aspects in the alpine and at tree line.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 10cm of new snow has fallen in some parts of the region so far in the new year. Cold temperatures and strong winds (from a wide range of directions) have affected the surface snow over the past week, scouring some slopes down to an old crust and forming hard deposits in many other areas. There are some lingering wind slabs, found on a variety of old surfaces including a thick melt-freeze crust that formed in mid-December. Cornices have also been noted at ridge tops, lee (downwind) to strong north east winds last week. In non-wind affected terrain, 20-40 cm of faceted (sugary) snow overlies the mid-December crust layer. This snow has been sluffing in steep terrain.Beneath the mid-December crust the snowpack is reported to be generally strong with the possible exception of areas around Stewart and northern parts of the region where the late-October, basal crust can be found near the base of the snowpack. Weak sugary faceted snow may exist around this deeply buried crust and could be triggered from shallow snowpack areas.
Problems
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.
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.