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 4th, 2021–Apr 5th, 2021

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

Northwest Coastal.

Watch for cornices and wind slabs near ridgetops.

Confidence

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

Weather Forecast

SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, 30 km/h northwest wind, treeline temperatures drop to -5 C.

MONDAY: Cloudy with light flurries in the afternoon bringing up to 5 cm of snow, 40 km/h west wind, treeline temperatures around -2 C.

TUESDAY: Scattered flurries with 5-10 cm of snow, 30 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -2 C.

WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with some light flurries, 20 km/h west wind, treeline temperatures around -2 C.

Avalanche Summary

During the recent storm on Friday and Saturday there were numerous reports of natural storm slab avalanches at upper elevations (up to size 2), as well as many loose wet avalanches on steep sun-exposed slopes on Saturday afternoon.

Over the past few week there have been some large natural and explosive triggered glide slab avalanches along the Skeena corridor. Glide cracks releasing as full depth glide slab avalanches are extremely difficult to predict. Best practice is to avoid slopes with glide cracks.

Snowpack Summary

40-60 cm of snow has fallen at upper elevations over the past week. While this snow is well settled, wind slabs may linger on steep open slopes. Sun crusts may be found on sun-exposed slopes. Cornices are large, looming, and capable of triggering large avalanches when they fail. Previous weak layers are now deeply buried and have not resulted in any recent avalanches.

At lower elevations, recent snow was mixed with rain, soaking the snow surface, which then formed a hard crust. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.

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.

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.