Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Dec 2 – 3, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Data is very limited from the region. Please send your field observations to [email protected].

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    New wind slabs may form on South and West aspects at all elevations in response to strong outflow winds this week. It may also be possible to trigger older wind slabs on exposed North and East aspects near ridgetop.

Confidence

Poor - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Tonight and Tuesday: Clear and cold. Expect mountaintop temperatures to dip close to -20. Strong outflow winds (from the N-E) are forecast near coastal inlets and valleys.Outlook: Continued cold and clear weather should be the story all week. Alpine temperatures should hover between -10 and -20, and winds should remain moderate to strong from the North-Northeast.

Avalanche Summary

Recent observations near Shames include a couple large glide slab releases in steep terrain (up to size 3), and several natural size 1-2 storm or wind slabs from open terrain at treeline. Expect wind slabs to remain touchy and new ones to form on South and West aspects from forecast outflow winds.

Snowpack Summary

Around 40 cm of recent storm snow has fallen in some areas. This new snow may not be bonding well to the previous snow surface. Winds during the recent storms produced wind slabs on east and north east lee slopes at tree line and above. Expect some reverse loading this week as the outflow winds pick up, particularly near the coast. Rain at lower elevations saturated the lower snowpack below tree line, which should freeze pretty solid as temperatures plummet this week. Average snowpack depths near treeline are around100 cm.

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