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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 5th, 2023–Apr 6th, 2023

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus.

A winter storm will roll through, bringing cold and snowy conditions

Keep storm day fever from luring you out into bigger terrain features.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small solar-triggered point releases were reported out of steep terrain Tuesday. A small skier-triggered wind slab (size 1) was also observed on convoluted alpine terrain. Over the past weekend, storm slabs and loose dry avalanches were reported (up to size 1-2) mostly artificially triggered by skiers and explosives.

If you head out in the backcountry, consider sharing your observations with us on the Mountain Information Network!

Snowpack Summary

Surfaces are variable according to aspects and elevations. On northerly aspects above 1000 m, surface hoar has grown in sheltered areas and low-density snow can still be found. On southerly aspects and below 1000 m, a moist or crusty surface has likely formed. The most recent storm, from last week, left 15-30 cm of snow, with wind loading mostly isolated to immediate lees of ridgetop. Recent snow appears to be bonding well to underlying surfaces, including melt-freeze crusts and hard widn affected surfaces.

The middle of the snowpack is strong and bonded. At the bottom of the snowpack, a layer of weak facets remains present and continues to be monitored for signs of reactivity.

Weather Summary

A frontal system will stall over the BC coast overnight Wednesday. Wet, warm & windy conditions are expected to ease on Friday before another system impacts the region for the weekend.

Wednesday night

Cloudy. Isolated flurries. Moderate southerly wind gusting 40 km/h. Alpine low -6 °C. Freezing level around 1000 m.

Thursday

Snow. Local amount 15-25 cm. Moderate southwest wind gusting 60 km/h. Alpine high -2 °C. Freezing level rises to 1500 m.

Friday

Flurries ending in the morning. 5-10 cm. Cloudy. Moderate southwest wind gusting 40 km/h. Alpine high -4 °C. Freezing level rises to 1400 m.

Saturday

Snow. Local amount 15-20 cm. Moderate southerly wind gusting 50 km/h. Alpine low -2 °C. Freezing level around 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • The first few hours of rain will likely be the most dangerous period.

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.

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.