Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 18th, 2026–Mar 19th, 2026

Alpine

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

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 possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Shames, Stewart.

Forecast strong southwest winds may trigger large natural avalanches in the alpine on Thursday.

Choose simple, low angle terrain, and avoid overhead hazards.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how the snowpack will react to the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

A widespread natural storm slab avalanche cycle occurred over the last few days on all aspects/elevations. Storm slabs up to size 2.5 were reported at treeline and below.

There have been very limited alpine observations, but we suspect numerous natural very large avalanches (size 3.5 or larger) have occurred.

Forecast strong southwest winds may trigger large natural avalanches in the alpine on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall amounts have varied from 85 to 140 cm, with the highest amounts being in the south of the region. The recent snow and strong southwest winds have formed reactive storm slabs overlying a weak layer of surface hoar and/or facets. This weak layer will make large storm slabs more likely to trigger.

There are multiple persistent weak layers consisting of crust/facets or surface hoar in the top 200 cm of the snowpack.

The lower snowpack is generally well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 45 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.