Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 6th, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Persistent Slabs and Wind Slabs.
bchristie,
Avalanche Canada
Choose mellow terrain.
Avalanches on persistent weak layers are becoming less frequent, but harder to predict.
New snow and wind are maintaining dangerous avalanche conditions.
Summary
Confidence
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday, large (up to size 2) natural and human-triggered avalanches continue to occur, although they are less frequent than earlier in the week.
Some reports are of remotely triggered avalanches, which indicate a sensitive snowpack and the need for conservative terrain choices.
Avalanches from the last few days have mostly occurred in open treeline terrain.
Click on the photos below for more details.
Snowpack Summary
Expect 10-15 of new snow by the end of the day on Thursday in sheltered areas. Moderate to strong southwest winds are expected to be forming fresh wind slabs in leeward terrain at treeline and above.
Underneath fresh snow and wind slabs you will likely find firm, wind-affected surfaces, and small surface hoar in sheltered areas.
Several persistent weak layers are buried between 50 to 120 cm deep. These weak layers include hard crusts, weak facets and surface hoar. Avalanches continue to be caused on these layers, including remote triggering and very large step-down avalanches.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow expected. Moderate to strong southwest ridgetop wind, extreme near Kitimat. Treeline high around -8 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow expected, up to 15 cm around Kitimat. Moderate to strong southwest ridgetop wind, extreme near Kitimat. Treeline high around -4 °C.
Friday
Cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow expected above 500 m. As much as 30 cm around Kitimat. Moderate to strong south or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -3 °C
Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow expected. Light variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -6 °C. Freezing level rising to 800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
- Caution required around non obvious avalanche terrain like road cutbanks, cutblocks and other non obvious avalanche terrain
- Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent weak layers including crust/facet combos and buried surface hoar continue to produce less frequent, but still surprising, large avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Wind Slabs
New snow arriving with moderate to strong southwest wind is forming fresh wind slabs. There is potential for wind slab avalanches to step down to deeper layers, triggering larger avalanches.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 7th, 2024 4:00PM
