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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 19th, 2023–Apr 20th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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 (size 1) wet loose avalanches were observed out of steep and rocky terrain on Wednesday. Riders also triggered some small (size 1) wind slabs on Tuesday.

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 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 and freeze into a melt-freeze crust overnight.

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

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, 20 to 30 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with periods of sunny skies and no precipitation, 20 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -3 °C, freezing level 1500 m.

Friday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, 30 to 40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1400 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with rain or snow, accumulation 5 cm, 30 to 40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature 0 °C, freezing level 1900 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.