Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain

The region may see 10-20cm of new snow on Friday night with extreme southwest winds. On Saturday morning expect overcast skies and lingering flurries with the possibility of sunny breaks in the afternoon. Another system will bring in up to 20cm of new snow and strong southerly winds between Saturday night and Sunday. On Monday a clearing trend is expected. The freezing level should hover around 1500m for most of the forecast period although there may be a brief spike to about 2000m on Saturday afternoon.

Artificially and naturally triggered storm slab avalanches continue to be reported. Of note, a size 2 storm slab avalanche was remotely triggered on a north-facing treeline feature from a distance of 150m in the Coquihalla area. Additionally, a skier was caught in a size 2 storm slab avalanche on a northwest-facing treeline slope in the Duffey lake area. The individual was not injured in the slide. These avalanches, which occurred on Wednesday, highlight the potentially touchy conditions in some areas. An isolated, yet destructive size 3 natural persistent slab avalanche was reported this week in the South Chilcotin area north of Goldbridge. The avalanche failed on surface hoar buried in early February. Cornices are large and fragile, and may also fail under the weight of a person.

Continued moderate snowfall and extreme southerly winds have formed reactive storm slabs on lee and cross-loaded alpine and treeline features. The upper snowpack sits above a crust that was reported on all aspects and elevations with isolated pockets of surface hoar in high north facing terrain that stayed cool prior to the storm. The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled. That said, a layer of surface hoar buried at the beginning of February is a concern in the South Chilcotin area and can be found about 80cm below the surface. Although this layer is isolated, it has been responsible for destructive natural avalanche activity and is worth keeping on your radar if you're headed to the north of the region.