Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Birkenhead, Brandywine, Duffey, Garibaldi, Homathko, Sea To Sky, South Chilcotin, South Coast Inland, Spearhead, Stein, Tantalus, Taseko.
Continue to manage overhead hazards such as cornices and wet loose avalanches.
This is our final daily forecast for the season.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Thursday.
NOTE: Observations in this region are currently very limited.
Snowpack Summary
The snowpack is generally strong, with a typical spring diurnal pattern: daytime warming melts and softens the upper snowpack, then overnight cooling usually forms a hard crust at higher elevations. Lower elevations likely will not refreeze, and are experiencing an all-melt, no freeze scenario, and are melting out quickly. Isothermal snow conditions exist below 1500 m.
Dormant weak layers may still exist in isolated alpine terrain, but likely require a very heavy trigger, such as a cornice fall. It's a good idea to keep this on your radar with forecast high freezing levels, strong sun, and a limited overnight refreeze.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Clear skies. 5 to 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.
Saturday
Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.
Sunday
Sunny. 5 to 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.
Monday
Cloudy with isolated flurries, 3 to 10 cm snow (above 1500 m.) 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Start your day early and be out of avalanche terrain during the heat of the day.
- Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
- Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
Avalanche Problems
Cornices
Large cornices hang over many ridges and are most likley to collapse naturally during the warmest parts of the day or from human-triggering.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Loose Wet
Strong sunshine and high freezing levels may trigger small wet loose avalanches on steep slopes.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5