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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 13th, 2023–Mar 14th, 2023

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Storm snow accumulations will continue throughout our region and will be accompanied by moderate southwest winds.

Reactive storm slabs should be expected. Seek out low-angle sheltered terrain for the best riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Natural wind slab activity has been reported this past weekend. They were on the north and northeast and released at a depth of 10 to 40 cm.

It is suspected that a natural avalanche cycle has occurred since Sunday night's storm.

A size 2.5 natural glide slab release was reported on Thursday. This avalanche occurred at treeline on a south aspect. No other significant avalanches were reported in the past few days.

Snowpack Summary

Snow arriving Monday night will sit on 35 cm of recent storm snow. This overlies a sun crust on solar aspects and a melt-freeze crust at lower elevations. In sheltered areas, the new snow has buried 10 cm of snow that fell earlier in the week. There are reports of a buried surface hoar layer underneath this layer of recent snow. Strong to moderate south to southwest winds may create new wind slabs at higher elevations. Cornices have also been created.

There are several crusts in the mid/lower snowpack. Their depth ranges from 150 to 250 cm.

A large trigger, such as a cornice fall or a smaller avalanche in motion, could trigger a very large avalanche on one of these deeply buried weak layers. A single rider is unlikely to trigger this layer unless they are in a steep, rocky, and shallow snowpack area.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy, up to 15 cm accumulation, winds southwest 30 to 40 km/h gusting to 60, treeline temperatures -7 to -2 °C with freezing levels reaching 1100 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, trace accumulation, winds southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperatures around -7 °C with freezing levels rising to 1100 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy, 5 to 8 cm accumulation, winds westerly 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -10 to -5 °C with freezing levels getting up to 1200 m by the end of the day.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud, no accumulation, winds southeast 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 to 0 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for changing conditions today, storm slabs may become increasingly reactive.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • Minimize your exposure time below cornices.

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.

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.