Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Boundary, East Stikine, Howson, Kitimat, Nass, Ningunsaw, Northwest Coastal, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, West Stikine.
Avoid all avalanche terrain.
Unseasonable warm weather will likely result in a widespread natural avalanche cycle.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
Numerous very large persistent slab avalanches continued to fail naturally throughout the region on Friday, some failing due to cornice falls on to the slopes below. Pinwheeling and loose wet activity also occurred.
We expect widespread, large, natural avalanches to continue with forecasted warm temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
Expect to find moist or wet surface snow.
15 to 20 cm of wet snow (or rain at lower elevations) was redistributed by southerly winds. This overlies the settled 40 to 80 cm of storm snow.
Several persistent weak layers are buried between 90 and 180 cm deep, including hard crusts with overlying weak facets and surface hoar. These weak layers have produced avalanche activity over the last week.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Mostly clear. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around +4 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.
Sunday
Increasing clouds. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around +4 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.
Monday
Partly cloudy, chance of flurries in the morning. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around +5 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.
Tuesday
Partly cloudy. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around +5 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.
For more details, see the Mountain Weather Forecast.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain as temperatures increase.
- Cornice failure may trigger large avalanches.
- Very large and destructive avalanches could reach valley bottom.
- A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
The likelihood of persistent slab avalanches will increase with each day of warm weather. A widespread avalanche cycle is expected on slopes that did not avalanche yet.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Very Likely
Expected Size: 2 - 3.5
Loose Wet
Intense warming will likely trigger numerous wet loose and wet slab avalanches. These may step down to deeper weak layers resulting in larger-than-expected avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Very Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2