Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 10th, 2026–Apr 13th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Regions

Long Range Mountains, Corner Brook, Gros Morne, Northern Peninsula.

Danger will increase later Saturday and into Sunday as rain turns to snow, especially on wind-loaded slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

We are confident the likelihood of avalanches will increase with the forecast weather.
We are uncertain if precipitation will fall as rain or snow.

Avalanche Summary

Reports are limited. A size 2 wind slab was triggered by a cornice earlier this week on a northeast aspect in the Blow Me Downs, and a sled-triggered wind slab was reported last weekend in the North Arm Hills.

While these older slabs have stabilized, new wind slabs will form in similar terrain this weekend.

Snowpack Summary

Surface conditions will change through the weekend:

Sat: Rain will soak the surface and may weaken the upper snowpack.
Sun: Snow and strong southwest wind will form fresh wind slabs.
Mon: Continued snow with northwest wind will build more wind slabs.

Heading into the weekend, the snowpack is capped by a breakable melt-freeze crust and wind-stiffened snow. A widespread March crust is 30 to 40 cm deep.

Despite deep snowpacks in higher terrain, access may be affected by melt at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Increasing cloud. 1 to 5 mm of rain. 40 to 60 km/h west wind. Alpine temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

Saturday

Cloudy. 5 to 15 mm of mixed precipitation falling as snow in the Northern Peninsula and rain to the south. 30 km/h southwest wind. Alpine temperature 0 °C. Freezing level up to 1000 m in the south and 500 m in the north.

Sunday

Cloudy. 15 to 30 cm of snow, with some rain possible south of Corner Brook. 40 to 60 km/h wind shifting from southwest to northwest. Alpine temperature -4°C. Freezing level dropping to sea level by the morning.

Monday

Another 5 to 10 cm of snow then sunny in the afternoon. 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Alpine temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.