Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 1st, 2023–Feb 2nd, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

New snow may have a hard time bonding to existing crusts and hard surfaces. Approach wind loaded terrain with caution and monitor snowfall amounts in your area as they will vary across the region.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche activity has been reported.

If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

5-10cm new snow sits on a melt-freeze crust on most aspects and elevations. Our field team is reporting that this small amount of new snow is not bonding well to crusty surfaces. More snow is forecast later in the week and this poor bond will be a problem.

The crust ranges from roughly 1 to 10 cm. Below this crust, the snowpack is moist and generally well settled and bonding, with no current layers of concern.

Weather Summary

Wednesday night

Cloudy. 5cm of new snow. Wind from the east at 10 km/h. Temperature -2 in the alpine.

Thursday

Cloudy. Flurries possible. Wind from the southeast at 30 km/h. Temperature 1 C. Freezing levels rising to1200 m.

Friday

Cloudy. Mix of rain and snow up to 8cm. Wind from the southeast at 40 km/h. Temperature +2 C. Freezing level around 1300 m.

Saturday

Cloudy. Mix of rain and snow up to 15cm above freezing levels. Wind from the southwest at 40 km/h. Temperature +1 C in the alpine. Freezing levels up to 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Pay attention to the wind, once it starts to blow fresh sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.