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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 1st, 2025–Mar 2nd, 2025

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

Regions

Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Howson.

The snowpack remains primed for human triggering, and conservative terrain selection remains critical. Use extra caution around sun-exposed slopes during the heat of the day.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Friday, but observations were very limited.

On Thursday, several natural and human-triggered avalanches were reported up to size 2. The most significant ones were remotely triggered from up to 200 m away.

Snowpack Summary

Over the past few days, up to 50 cm of new storm snow accompanied by strong southerly wind hit the region. Wind-transported snow has likely built deeper slabs on northerly aspects at upper elevations. Lower elevation snow may be crusty as freezing levels fall.

The upper metre of the snowpack is complicated. This snow sits above several significant weak layers that formed during the January and February dry spells. These include facets, surface hoar (in sheltered terrain), and crust on solar aspects.

A layer of facets on top of a crust from early December is buried 100 to 200 cm deep. This layer is generally not a concern in this region.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with light flurries. 10 to 25 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures +1. Freezing level 1200 m.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 10 to 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures +2. Freezing level 1400 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures +2. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Stick to simple terrain or small features with limited consequence.
  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.