Vancouver Island

Moderate - numerous weather scenarios and differing forecast outcomes.

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.

No new natural avalanches reported.

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.

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.

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.