Avalanche Forecast
Regions: East Island, North Island, South Island, Vancouver Island, West Island.
Snow coming in Tuesday afternoon will mark the beginning of significant snowfall accumulation.
Early-season hazards are still lurking below the surface.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Observations are limited at this time of year. No new avalanches have been reported or observed. If you do head into the backcountry consider submitting a MIN report!
Snowpack Summary
Saturday brought 5 to 15 cm of snow. The winds yesterday and today are suspected of transporting this new snow, building wind slabs in open areas. Upper elevation snowpack now stands at 80 cm and is beginning to cover surface roughness. Below treeline is below the threshold for avalanches.
Weather Summary
Monday Night
Cloudy with clear periods, trace accumulation, southwest wind 10 to 20 km/h, alpine temperatures to -9 C with freezing near sea level.
Tuesday
Cloudy, 10 to 15 cm accumulation, ridge winds southwest 30 km/h, alpine temperatures -6 to -10 with freezing near sea level.
Wednesday
Cloudy, 15 to 20 cm accumulation, winds south 25 km/h gusting to 50, alpine temperatures -2 to -7 C with freezing level rising to 800 m.
Thursday
Cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 30 km/h, alpine temperatures around -5 to -8 C with freezing levels going back down to near sea level.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
At the highest elevations, you may find reactive pockets of wind-affected snow.
Expect snow that will be falling later Tuesday to transition our main avalanche problem to a storm slab.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5