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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 13th, 2024–Dec 14th, 2024

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

Regions

North Island.

Heavy snowfall and strong winds are building reactive storm slabs. Human-triggered avalanches are likely.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported this week, but avalanche activity is expected to increase as the snow piles up.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network (MIN) report.

Snowpack Summary

Fresh snow falling with strong gusty winds will accumulate through Saturday.

The upper snowpack is a series of crusts with moist snow between. The lower snowpack is well-settled with no layers of concern.

Snow depths at treeline vary across Vancouver Island from 230 cm near Mt. Washington to 130 cm near Mt Cain. This current storm forecasts the highest precipitation amounts between Cambell River and Port Alberni.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Snowing, 10 to 20 cm of snow. 50 to 90 km/h south-southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Saturday

Snowing, 15 to 25 cm of snow. 40 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Sunday

Unsettled and cloudy. 15 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday

Flurries, 10 cm. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.