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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 20th, 2024–Apr 21st, 2024

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus.

Watch for signs of instability as you travel - new snow may not bond well with the crust below.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Recent sunshine and warm temperatures triggered wet loose avalanches and cornice falls over the last few days. With storm snow and wind forecast, potential increases for storm slab avalanches to occur on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

By Sunday afternoon around 20 cm of storm snow may have fallen, overlying a widespread crust except on high north facing slopes. The bond between old and new snow may be poor, creating reactive conditions. Deeper and more reactive deposits can likely be found near ridglines, on north and east facing slopes.

Below treeline terrain has low snow cover, this storm snow will not change that. Travel conditions are challenging with exposed (or barely hidden) rocks, stumps, and open creeks.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with rain turning to snow, up to 15 cm possible. Freezing levels drop to 1000 m by morning. 40-50 km/h southwest winds.

Sunday

Cloudy with another 5 cm of snow possible in the morning. 20-40 km/h southwesterly winds. Freezing levels around 1300 m, treeline temperatures around -4 °C.

Monday

Mostly clear skies with 10 km/h east winds. Freezing levels rise to 1800 m. 10-20 km/h southeast winds. Treeline temperatures around -1 °C.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Freezing levels remain around 1800 m. 20-30 km/h southwest winds. Treeline temperatures around -1 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Keep in mind the crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.

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.