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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2024–Apr 3rd, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Fresh, reactive wind slabs will likely form at upper elevations with strong winds.

Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow with the old surface.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, numerous wet loose avalanches occurred in steep, sun-exposed terrain as a result of strong sun and warm temperatures. The likelihood of avalanches will increase with ongoing strong winds and rain turning into snow on Tuesday night.

Snowpack Summary

New snow accumulates on moist snow or a crust that exists on all aspects and elevations except high north-facing terrain where dry snow can still be found.

The facet/crust layer that produced large avalanches during early March is buried 80-150 cm deep. While no recent avalanche activity has been observed on this layer, it continues to produce concerning snowpack test results. It has become a low-probability, high-consequence problem on north-facing slopes above 2000 m.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of new snow expected. Ridgetop winds southwest, 40 to 60 km/h. Treeline temperature drops to -5 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated convective flurries, up to 5 cm of accumulation. Ridgetop winds southwest, 10 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level rising to 1300 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop winds northeast, 20 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature rising to 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop winds northeast, 10 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature rising to +3 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Use caution on large alpine slopes, especially around thin areas that may propagate to deeper instabilities.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.