Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Forecast new snow may release as loose wet avalanches during the warmest part of the day. Some thin wind slabs may also develop in the alpine.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Thursday
Weather Forecast
Overnight: 5-10 cm of new snow with moderate southwest winds and freezing down to 600 metres. Thursday: 3-5 cm of new snow with moderate southwest winds and daytime freezing up to 1400 metres. Friday: Mostly sunny with light winds and daytime freezing up to 1800 metres. Saturday: Overcast with strong southeast winds and daytime freezing up to 1800 metres.
Avalanche Summary
Loose wet avalanches up to size 2.5 were reported on Monday from steep terrain below treeline west of Terrace. Wet slab avalanches up to size 3.0 were reported in the Oscar peak area, as well as small loose wet avalanches and one natural cornice fall that did not release a slab on the slope below.
Snowpack Summary
Recent snow has been transported by the wind, and high alpine terrain may be stripped down to ice or old hard surfaces. Wind deposited snow may be sitting on a variety of old surfaces including hard wind crusts in exposed terrain and sun crusts on solar aspects. Dry snow was reported from shaded north aspects at the highest elevations in the alpine.
Problems
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.
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.