Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Vancouver Island.
Use caution at all elevations. The new snow likely won't bond well to the underlying crust.
Confidence
Moderate -
Weather Forecast
Friday night: freezing levels around 1100m. light flurries bringing trace amounts of snow with moderate southwest winds.
Saturday: stormy with 10 to 20cm of snow. High of -2 at 1200m. Moderate west winds.
Sunday: cloudy with light flurries bringing trace amounts of snow. Moderate northwest winds. High of -3 at 1200m.
Monday: cloudy with light flurries bringing trace amounts of snow. Light northerly winds and a high of -4 at 1200m.
Avalanche Summary
We suspect that rider triggerable storm and wind slabs will form throughout the day on Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
New snow and west winds will form storm and wind slabs throughout the day on Saturday.
A thick and supportive crust caps the snowpack on all aspects and elevations.Â
Below the crust, 10-60 cm well settled snow and old crust layers sit above the thick late-January crust which extends to mountain top elevations on all aspects. The mid and lower snowpack is considered well settled and strong.Â
Shallow snow cover at low elevations leaves many hazards like stumps and creeks exposed at or just below the snow surface.
Terrain and Travel
- Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
New wind and storm slabs will form throughout the day on Saturday. These slabs could be touchy due to the surface they are forming on. Use extra caution around ridge crests where wind slab is most likely to be found.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Very Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2