Avalanche Forecast

Poor - Due to the number of field observations

A weak storm system reaches the South Coast late Friday or early Saturday morning. Around 10mm of precipitation are expected for much of the region on Saturday. Freezing levels should peak at around 1000m and alpine winds are expected to be moderate-to-strong from the NW. A ridge of high pressure builds on Sunday and will persist for several days. Sunday should be mostly clear and dry with freezing levels around valley bottom and light alpine winds. Monday should be pretty much the same with colder temperatures.

We haven't received any reports in a few days. If you are out in the mountains, please consider sending us your observations or posting on our website. On Wednesday we received a report on whumphing in the Coquihalla area. On Monday we received a report of storm slabs up to size 2.5 being remote-triggering from flat areas up to 75m away in the Coquihalla area between 1600 and 1900m elevation. Slabs were 40-70cm thick and were releasing on the surface hoar layer. Natural activity is not expected on Friday but human triggering remains possible.

A persistent slab sits above the mid-December surface hoar layer. In the north of the region the slab is around 30-40cm thick and in the south it is 50-80cm. The surface hoar appears to be quite reactive at treeline and possibly into the lower parts to the alpine, especially where it was sheltered from wind. Reports suggest that it is most reactive in the Coquihalla and Allison Pass areas. About 10cm below the surface hoar layer is a thick rain crust the extends to around ridgetop elevation. Strong SW winds have created wind slabs in exposed alpine terrain which may still be a concern.