Avalanche forecast

South Coast Inland

Feb 7 – 8, 2023Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Storm snow will be accompanied by southwest winds. Be aware of storm slabs and deeper-than-expected pockets in lee areas.

Low-angled sheltered areas offer the safest riding.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–2

    A storm system that arrives Monday and will continue to bring snow on Tuesday will increase the chance of storm slab avalanches. Below around 1400 m this snow may be rain and it too will add load to the snow pack. Strong southerly winds that accompany this weather system will load pockets of areas with even more accumulation.

    New snow and strong southwesterly winds are forming fresh wind slabs on lee slopes in the alpine and at treeline. Watch for typical wind loading around ridgelines and convexities and be aware of mid-slope cross loaded features.

    Deeper weak layers have not produced avalanches for sometime, but may be possible to trigger with step down avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

There have not been reports of avalanche activity since Friday. This is expected to change with Monday night's incoming precipitation.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 40 cm of new snow may accumulate throughout the region by the end of day Tuesday. Southwest winds will have redistributed new and recent snow into fresh wind slabs in exposed alpine and treeline terrain. In sheltered areas, the storm snow will be resting on 15 to 25 cm of soft snow. A crust may be found in the upper snowpack on steep solar aspects and below 1800 m.

Although we haven't seen recent persistent slab avalanche activity on mid-snowpack layers, we're still tracking a weak layer of faceted snow or decomposing crust buried 50 to 100 cm deep.

The bottom of the snowpack is comprised of weak, sugary facets and depth hoar. It has been most problematic in the Hurley/Birkenhead and north. This layer is still a concern for step-down avalanches or very large triggers such as cornice falls. It can be most easily triggered from steep and rocky start zones where the snowpack varies from thick to thin. For a how-to on sleuthing out signs of basal problems, check out this great MIN report from Eldorado Cabin.

Generally, the snowpack in this region is weak and shallow. Snowpack depths around treeline range between 150 to 250 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy, 10 to 20 cm accumulation dependent on location, winds southwest 30 to 60 km/h treeline temperatures -4 C.

Tuesday

Cloudy, 10 to 20 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 to 35 km/h, treeline temperatures -4 C.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny with some clouds, trace accumulation, winds southwest 20 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -8 C.

Thursday

Cloudy with sunny breaks, trace accumulation, winds south 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.

Regions covered