Regions
Vancouver Island.
Confidence
Moderate - numerous weather scenarios and differing forecast outcomes.
Travel & Terrain Advice
Identify and choose terrain options that avoid areas with freshly wind loaded snow and cross loaded features. Caution when travelling either above or below cornices. Make careful and cautious terrain choices when rain on snow events occur, temperatures warm rapidly or during any appearance of the sun.
Avalanche Summary
No new natural avalanches reported.
Snowpack Details
Surface: New snow, breakable crust and moist conditions all dependent on elevation. Upper: moist and wet snow. Mid: March 22 melt freeze crust can be found down from 90 to 135 centimeters. Lower: Well settled.
Past Weather
Strong south east wind and precipitation in the form of snowfall between 30 cm to 50 cm with temperatures and freezing level between 800 and 1200 meters. Thursday temperatures cooled with very little precipitation forming a breakable crust on all aspect and all elevations.
Weather Forecast
A deepening and strong low pressure will bring strong south south west wind, moderate to heavy snowfall and rising freezing levels and temperatures. Friday: 20 to 40 cm of snowfall 10 to 20 mm of rainfall. Temperatures 1 overnight rising to 6 mid day, winds moderate to strong south west . Freezing level rising to 1200 m mid day. Saturday: 5 to 10 cm of snowfall 5 to 25 mm of rainfall. Temperatures 1 overnight rising to 5 mid day, winds moderate south west. Freezing level rising to 1000 m mid day. Sunday: 5 to 10 cm of snowfall temperatures rising to 5 mid day, winds light north east. Freezing level rising to 1200 m mid day.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.