Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations. We are confident the likelihood of avalanche will increase with the arrival of the forecast weather.

The current warm wet storm is forecasted to peak in intensity overnight Saturday then gradually taper off as the day progresses on Sunday. Rising freezing levels will mean the bulk of the precipitation will fall as rain. The storm looks to focus on the southwest of the region, with lighter amounts in the north.

Saturday night: Rain 20-40 mm. Strong to extreme southwest winds. Treeline low temperatures around +5 as freezing levels rise to 2800 meters.

Sunday: Rain 10-15 mm. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Treeline high temperatures around +3 C. Freezing levels dropping to 1800 m.

Monday: Clear. Light to moderate southwest winds. Treeline high temperatures around +3 C.Freezing levels around to 1800 m.

Tuesday: Rain. Strong west winds.Treeline high temperatures around +5 C.Freezing levels rising to 2500 m.

We haven't yet received any conditions reports in the region. If you go out in the mountains, please post your observations and/or photos to the Mountain Information Network!

By Sunday morning, any dry surface snow will be rain-soaked as freezing levels rose above mountain tops through the peak of the storm.

Preliminary investigations into the region's existing snowpack suggest alpine snowpack depths around 150 cm, depth tapering dramatically with elevation to about 30-60 cm at treeline. We expect that snowpack depths remain below threshold for avalanches below about 1300 metres. 

• Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy rain.
• The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.