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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 27th, 2024–Dec 28th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron, Harrison-Fraser.

6:40 AM Update: Expect increased avalanche danger during the stormy period.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Skiers near Cypress reported one small avalanche in this MIN post on Thursday.

During the storm, large, natural and human triggered avalanches can be expected.

Observations have been limited in this region. If you go into the backcountry, please consider submitting a Mountain Information Network (MIN) post.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 50 cm is expected by end of day Saturday at upper elevations. This snow will be transported by strong south winds, building reactive cornices and slabs on lee slopes.

Above 1000 m, this snow falls on about 60 cm of previous storm snow, which is reportedly well bonded to the well-settled snowpack below. Below 1000 m, there has been mixed rain and snow, making for moist snow surface conditions

Check out this MIN for conditions at Hollyburn Mountain.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 25 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

SaturdayCloudy with 10 to 25 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Sunday

Partly cloudy with trace precipitation. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

MondayMostly cloudy with up to 5 mm of precipitation. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level rising to 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy snowfall.
  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.