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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2021–Mar 9th, 2021

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

Regions

South Coast.

Lingering wind slabs are the primary concern. Watch for denser drifts near ridge-crests and rollovers and give cornices a wide berth from above and below. 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

Dry conditions and diurnal cycles for the next few days

Monday night: Partly cloudy, moderate southeast winds, freezing level dropping to 600 m.

Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud, isolated convective flurries with trace accumulations, moderate southeast winds, freezing level rising to 1100 m and dropping to 500 m overnight.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy, light variable winds, freezing level rising to 1200 m and dropping to 500 m. 

Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud, moderate northwest winds, freezing level rising to 1000 m and dropping to 500 m.

Avalanche Summary

Over the weekend, operators reported numerous soft slabs releasing 20 cm deep in the recent storm snow across aspects from 1700 to 2000 m. Small loose dry sluffs were also observed in steep terrain. 

Snowpack Summary

Since Friday, the mountains in the south coast region have seen anywhere from 20-60 cm of snow that fell on a mix of previous surfaces, including a warm crust, wet snow, wind-pressed snow, and settled cold snow. The storm snow has been accompanied by moderate to strong south winds, forming wind slabs on leeward slopes at upper elevations that may remain possible to trigger. Massive cornices exist on ridgelines, which can act as triggers on slopes below. 

Below the recent snow, the snowpack consists of a series of rain crusts and settled snow that is well-bonded. See this helpful MIN report from the Hollyburn area.

Terrain and Travel

  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Cornice failure may trigger large avalanches.

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.

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.