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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 18th, 2023–Mar 19th, 2023

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, Tantalus, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Rising freezing levels and the sun can quickly destabilize the snowpack. Be aware of sun-exposed slopes and overhead hazards like cornices during the heat of the day.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday and Friday, wet-loose avalanches to size 1.5 were reported from solar slopes and steep, rocky terrain.

On Wednesday, pinwheeling was seen on solar aspects and small dry loose sluffing seen on shaded aspects.

On Tuesday, natural and skier-triggered dry loose avalanches up to size 1 were reported from the North Shore mountains.

On Monday, natural dry loose avalanches were reported from steep terrain features and explosive control initiated several storm slabs up to size 1. The storm slabs were 5 to 20 cm thick with very limited propagation and entrainment.

Snowpack Summary

Daytime warming and solar radiation will promote moist snow surfaces, destabilizing the upper snowpack on all but the highest northerly slopes. Cornices loom over ridgelines and may become weak during periods warming.

The recent 40 cm of storm snow is reportedly settling and bonding to the old buried crusts. In general, the mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Saturday night

Starry sky with increasing clouds. South wind 15-20 km/hr. Treeline low temperature +3 C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Sunday

Increasing cloud with precipitation forecast to begin early Monday. Southeast wind increasing to 30-40 km/hr. Treeline high temperature +8 C, freezing level spiking around 1800 m.

Monday

Showers and wet flurries starting Monday, 10-15 mm. Southeast wind decreases through the day as the temperature cools. Treeline high temperature +3 C, freezing level dropping to 1500 m.

Tuesday

Wet flurries, 5 mm. South wind gusting to 30 km/hr. Treeline temperature high +2 C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

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.