Avalanche forecast

South Coast

Dec 2 – 3, 2018Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Normal cautions should help you to manage any lingering alpine hazards. Travel conditions at lower elevations remain rugged.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–1.5
    If there's any good riding/travel to be had, it's going to be in the alpine. This is also where you're most likely to find lingering wind slabs.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Cornices have likely formed along many alpine ridgelines. These can fail under the weight of a person or group.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Sunday night: Clear with cloudy periods. Light northwest winds.Monday: Sunny. Light northeast winds. Alpine high temperatures around -5 with freezing levels near 800 metres.Tuesday: Sunny. Light northwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -1, increasing overnight with the onset of a temperature inversion.Wednesday: Sunny. Light northeast winds. Alpine high temperatures around +2 as freezing levels rise to 2000 metres.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches have been reported. Please submit any observations you have to the Mountain Information Network here.

Snowpack Summary

The warm storm early last week produced over 200 mm of precipitation that mostly fell as rain. This rain washed away much of the snowpack at lower elevations. The highest alpine terrain in the region more likely received heavy snowfall during the storm. This snowfall, paired with extreme winds out of the south/southwest is likely to have produced cornice growth along many ridgelines.Alpine areas near Squamish have the most snow, with around 70 cm of settled snow on the ground. In these areas there may be a crust lower in the snowpack, however it is likely now well bonded to the overlying storm snow. It is thought that there is insufficient snow for avalanches below 1500 m.

Regions covered