Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to difficult to forecast freezing levels.

Saturday night: Wet snow, 15-20 cm, strong southwest wind easing to moderate northwest, freezing level dropping 1400 m to 800 m.

Sunday: Snow 15-25 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine high temperature -5, freezing level 800 to 1000 m.

Monday: Snow, 15-20 cm, light southwest wind, alpine high temperature -1, freezing level 1200 m.

Tuesday: Flurries, southwest wind increasing to strong, alpine high temperature -4, freezing level 1000 m.

Slab avalanche activity is expected at upper elevations where the precipitation is falling as snow.  

Wet loose avalanches may occur at lower elevations where the snow has been soaked by rain.

Natural (size 1) and explosive triggered (size 2) were reported in the North Shore mountains on Thursday and Friday during the storm.

There were numerous avalanches up to size 1.5 reported in the North Shore mountains during the storm on Wednesday. It is likely that a widespread natural avalanche cycle occurred throughout the region on Wednesday as well, especially at higher elevations.

30-50 mm of precipitation is forecast to fall Saturday night and over the day Sunday. The snow line may rise as precipitation eases slightly Saturday evening, before dropping down below 800 m as a cold front comes through overnight.

This will bring recent snow amounts at upper elevations to as much as 200-300 cm. The new snow sits on a crust in many areas, and may also sit on surface hoar in some places. At lower elevations, the snowpack will be rain-soaked.

The remainder of the snowpack is well-settled.

Watch North Shore Rescue's snowpack conditions update from Friday here.

• Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
• Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low-angle, well-supported terrain with no overhead hazard.