Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, South Coast Inland, Stein, Taseko.
Start on small slopes, and assess the bond of the new snow to the old surface.
Buried weak, feathery crystals may produce thin avalanches across entire features.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in this region.
We expect that with the incoming snow, human-triggered avalanches will be possible, especially where the new snow falls on preserved surface hoar.
If you do go into the backcountry, please consider submitting a MIN report.
Snowpack Summary
By the end of the day on Sunday, 5 to 10 cm of new snow will have buried 10-20 mm surface hoar in the alpine and at treeline.
Above 1800 m, this surface hoar formed on top of 10 - 20 cm of faceting snow over a supportive crust that exists to mountain tops.
Below 1800 m, the new snow will probably sit right over the crust.
Where snow still existed below treeline, it was isothermal or refrozen. Even with some new snow at lower elevations, travel will remain challenging.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2-4 cm of snow expected to near valley bottom. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline low around -4 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy. 3-6 cm of snow expected to near valley bottom. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 1250 m through the day. Treeline temperature around -3 °C.
Monday
Sunny. 2-5 cm of snow expected overnight to near valley bottom. Light north ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -4 °C.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny. No new snow expected. Light northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
- Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to the presence of buried surface hoar.
- When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
The forecasted snow would not usually be enough to make a storm slab problem. However, this new snow may be covering 10-30 mm surface hoar. You may find thin slabs or loose snow avalanches easily propagating across terrain features.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5