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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 3rd, 2023–Apr 4th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
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

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. Avalanche activity is anticipated to be small and in isolated areas or extreme terrain. 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

Over the weekend, numerous natural and skier-triggered loose dry avalanches were reported up to size 2 out of steep, north-facing terrain near treeline; and solar-triggered loose wet avalanches up to size 1 out of steep solar aspects at all elevations. Storm slabs were fairly unreactive with a single report of a skier-triggered size 1 on a northeast aspect near treeline, despite extensive ski cutting avalanche control work.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A moist or crusty surface has likely formed on steep southerly aspects and low elevations. 20 to 40 cm of recent snow has seen modest wind effect, with wind loading mostly isolated to immediate lees of ridgetop. Recent snow appears to be bonding well to underlying surfaces including melt-freeze crusts.

The mid and lower snowpack consists of a number of old crusts and facetted snow that continue to be monitored, particularly in shallow snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Partly cloudy. Light variable wind. Alpine low -10 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. Moderate southwest wind. Alpine high 0 °C. Freezing level rises to 1800 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 exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.
  • 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.