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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 6th, 2024–Mar 7th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

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

Choose mellow terrain.

Avalanches on persistent weak layers are becoming less frequent, but harder to predict.

New snow and wind are maintaining dangerous avalanche conditions.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, large (up to size 2) natural and human-triggered avalanches continue to occur, although they are less frequent than earlier in the week.

Some reports are of remotely triggered avalanches, which indicate a sensitive snowpack and the need for conservative terrain choices.

Avalanches from the last few days have mostly occurred in open treeline terrain.

Click on the photos below for more details.

Snowpack Summary

Expect 10-15 of new snow by the end of the day on Thursday in sheltered areas. Moderate to strong southwest winds are expected to be forming fresh wind slabs in leeward terrain at treeline and above.

Underneath fresh snow and wind slabs you will likely find firm, wind-affected surfaces, and small surface hoar in sheltered areas.

Several persistent weak layers are buried between 50 to 120 cm deep. These weak layers include hard crusts, weak facets and surface hoar. Avalanches continue to be caused on these layers, including remote triggering and very large step-down avalanches.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow expected. Moderate to strong southwest ridgetop wind, extreme near Kitimat. Treeline high around -8 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow expected, up to 15 cm around Kitimat. Moderate to strong southwest ridgetop wind, extreme near Kitimat. Treeline high around -4 °C.

Friday

Cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow expected above 500 m. As much as 30 cm around Kitimat. Moderate to strong south or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -3 °C

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow expected. Light variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -6 °C. Freezing level rising to 800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • Caution required around non obvious avalanche terrain like road cutbanks, cutblocks and other non obvious avalanche terrain
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

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.

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.