Avalanche forecast

Coquihalla

Feb 22 – 23, 2023Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

25 to 40cm of new snow fell Monday night and Tuesday. Give the storm snow some time to settle and bond.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    A crust formed in mid-January can be found down 70 to 90 cm. In some areas facets can be found sitting on the crust.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2

    25-45cm of new snow accumulating Monday and Tuesday has formed reactive storm slabs. Deepest deposits will be found in lee terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

At publishing time Tuesday afternoon there had been no reports of avalanche activity yet, however I would suspect there was a widespread natural storm slab avalanche cycle through the day.

Please continue to post your reports and photos to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

20-40 cm of new snow from the beginning of the week is being redistributed by primarily southwest winds switching to northerly.

A melt-freeze crust formed in mid-January is now buried up to 90-140 cm deep. In some areas, small facets are still found above the crust. This layer appears to be gaining strength but still remains a concern. The snow below this layer is well consolidated.

Snowpack depths are just below seasonal averages. Total amounts range from 150 to 300 cm at treeline, but decreases significantly below 1500 m.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly cloudy with clear periods. Light to moderate north and northeast wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods. Light to moderate northeast wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud. Moderate northeast wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud. Light northerly wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

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