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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 22nd, 2025–Feb 23rd, 2025

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

Regions

South Coast, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Take an assessment mindset with you as you head up to check on the aftermath of the storm. Surface snow may still be saturated enough to produce a wet loose avalanche.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Recent explosive control produced small storm slab avalanches on the North shore. Wet loose avalanche activity should peak during the deluge Saturday afternoon and diminish rapidly as surface crust forms.

Snowpack Summary

By Saturday night, heavy rain should have soaked the snowpack at all elevations. A crust will begin to form immediately after, gradually capping the snowpack.

The saturated upper snowpack may still produce wet loose avalanches with a trigger in steep terrain before the crust forms up and free water drains away.

A late-January weak layer (hard crust, facets, or surface hoar) is buried 80 to 120 cm deep, this layer should be entombed beneath a firm crust soon.

The lower snowpack is strong and bonded.

Weather Summary

Saturday night

Cloudy with 10 - 30 mm of mixed precipitation, mostly rain. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing. Freezing level falling to 1500 m.

Sunday

Partly cloudy with wet flurries beginning in late afternoon, minimal accumulations. 15 - 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind shifting southeast. Freezing level 1500 - 1700 m.

Monday

Clearing in the midday after 10 - 20 cm accumulation overnight and early morning. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level falling to 1200 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with wet snowfall bringing 10 - 30 cm of new snow. 40 - 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1200 - 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • 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.