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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 25th, 2019–Feb 26th, 2019

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland.

Wind affected snow is the main concern. Seek out low density snow in sheltered areas for the safest and best quality skiing and riding.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Monday night: Clear with cloudy periods. Light to moderate northeast winds. Tuesday: Sunny. Light to moderate northeast winds, increasing over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -15.Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud. Moderate northeast or east winds. Alpine high temperatures around -10.Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud with a chane of isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light northwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -10.

Avalanche Summary

Preliminary reports from Sunday indicate small (size 1) wind slabs were reactive on south-facing slopes in the immediate lee of ridgetops.On Saturday, several small (size 1) wind slabs were triggered in northern parts of the region. Loose dry sluffing was also reported in steep terrain.On Friday, a size 1.5 wind slab was remotely triggered as a skier approached a steep south-facing slope north of Pemberton. The slab was 10-40 cm deep and had recently been loaded by north winds. On Thursday, a slab avalanche was reported in the Duffey area on northwest aspect at 1900 m (see MIN report here).

Snowpack Summary

Friday's storm delivered 10-15 cm in northern parts of the region and 15-25 cm in southern parts of the region. Recent wind has formed isolated pockets of slabs in exposed terrain, while sheltered areas have cold low density snow. The top 20 to 40 cm of the snowpack consists of low density snow that is gradually bonding to old hard surfaces that include crusts and wind-packed snow. Low-density snow may sluff easily from these hard surfaces. In some isolated features, the snow has settled into thin slabs above these hard surfaces and produced small avalanches with minimal destructive potential. The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled.

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.