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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 12th, 2024–Dec 13th, 2024

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, Tantalus, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Heavy rain, snow, and strong winds are certain to elevate avalanche danger ratings in upper elevation terrain.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

There have been no recent avalanche reports in the region.

Increasing snowfall mixed with rain and strong southwest wind are certain to induce a natural avalanche cycle.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

New snow mixed with rain will bury a firm crust at treeline and will become increasingly unstable as the new snow rapidly gets deeper. North through east-facing slopes in the alpine may have buried surface hoar which sits over moist snow.

Snow depths at treeline vary across the region from 65 cm to 150 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with wet flurries 1 to 5 mm. 10 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Friday

Snow at higher elevations and rain 20 to 40 mm. 25 to 75 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Saturday

Snow at higher elevations and rain 30 to 40 mm. 25 to 75 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Sunday

Snow 1 to 2 cm. 10 to 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.

Problems

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.

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.