Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 3rd, 2023–Apr 4th, 2023

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

6am update: Heightened avalanche conditions exist on specific terrain features. On Tuesday, this includes small pockets of wind slab in immediate lees of ridgecrests and moistening snow on steep solar aspects during periods of strong sun.

Spring is a dynamic time of year where conditions can vary widely and change rapidly. Carefully assess your local conditions and pay attention to how the weather is affecting the snowpack throughout the day.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, solar-triggered loose wet avalanches were observed out of steep south aspects.

Over the weekend, loose dry avalanches were numerous, naturally and skier-triggered, size 1-2. Small wind slabs to size 1 were reported, triggered by sun, skiers and loose dry avalanches from above.

Snowpack Summary

A moist or crusty surface exists on solar aspects and low elevations. 15 to 20 cm of recent snow sits over a variety of surfaces including crust. Shady, wind sheltered areas at upper elevations hold dry, soft snow. Low elevations are melting out rapidly.

A weak layer of sugary facets is still prominent at the base of the snowpack. Although we haven't seen avalanche activity on it for some time, it could reactivate with sudden changes like prolonged or intense warming shocking the snowpack. Large loads like cornice falls are the most likely things to trigger this layer but human triggering may be possible in rocky, shallow, or thin-to-thick snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Partly cloudy. Light variable wind. Alpine low -12 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Light northeast wind. Alpine high of -2 °C. Freezing level rises to 1400 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Light southwest wind increasing to moderate. Alpine high of -1 °C. Freezing level rises to 1500 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. Moderate southwest wind. Alpine high 0 °C. Freezing level rises to 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remember that in the spring strong solar radiation and warm temperatures can weaken the snow in a matter of minutes.
  • Avoid slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if they have large cornices overhead.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

Problems

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.

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.