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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 27th, 2023–Mar 28th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson.

Tune in to the changing conditions of elevation, aspect, and time of day.

Be cautious in wind-affected terrain and avoid steep sun-exposed slopes and overhead hazard during periods of strong sun.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small (size 1) wet loose avalanches have been observed throughout the week during periods of strong solar radiation.

On Sunday, a rockfall triggered a large (size 2.5) wet loose avalanche on a southwest aspect in the alpine. A natural cornice failure was observed but it did not pull a slab on the slope below.

Snowpack Summary

Cool, clear weather has promoted surface faceting and surface hoar growth. A crust exist on the surface on all aspects below 1800 m and steep south facing slopes.

At treeline and below, a weak layer of rounding surface hoar is found 20-50 cm down in sheltered terrain. No recent reactivity has been observed on this interface.

The lower snowpack is well consolidated and strong.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Clear. Alpine temperatures drop to a low of -2 °C. Ridge wind northeast 10-25 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Tuesday

Sunny. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 3 °C. Ridge wind 10-30 km/h from the northeast. Freezing level rises to 2300 metres.

Wednesday

Sunny with cloudy periods. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 4 °C. Ridge wind light from the north. Freezing level rises to 1500 metres.

Thursday

Sunny. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 0 °C. Ridge wind 10-40 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level rises to 1100 metres.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.