Avalanche Forecast

The high pressure begins to break down Friday with an active system bringing moderate to heavy snowfall over the weekend.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Valley cloud with clear skies above and moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels around 2600 m. Alpine high of +8.

FRIDAY: Scattered cloud with moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels drop to 1500 m over the day. Alpine high of +6.

SATURDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with strong southwest winds. Isolated flurries are possible. Freezing levels around 1500 m, alpine high of +5. 

SUNDAY: Cloudy with strong southwest winds. Snowfall begins Saturday night, delivering 30-50cm by the end of Sunday. Freezing levels remain below 1000 m, alpine highs of 0. 

No new avalanche activity has been reported.

Observations are limited. If you head out into the mountains, please share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

A thick crust extends to mountain top. Surface conditions remain solid in most areas despite the warm temperatures and sun. Below the crust, the snow is moist down 50-100 cm where several old crusts are breaking down. At the highest elevations near Squamish, you may find pockets of dry wind affected snow.

Around 150 to 200 cm deep, weak and faceted grains may sit above a melt freeze crust formed during the cold spell in late December. Reports suggest that the snowpack is bonding well to these layers. The middle and lower snowpack are strong, consisting of well-bonded snow and several hard melt-freeze crusts.

• When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
• Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
• Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches