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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 22nd, 2025–Apr 23rd, 2025

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Stewart, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Buried weak layers remain a concern, particularly in northerly alpine terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few small loose avalanches and cornices were observed on Monday.

On Sunday, cornice failures triggered two very large (size 3 to 5) natural persistent slab avalanches. There were multiple step-downs visible in the crowns, and these avalanches likely failed on the weak layers described in the Snowpack Summary.

Cornices continue to be a prime suspect for triggering large, destructive avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

A bit of new snow will fall onto a melt-freeze crust everywhere except for high elevation northerly aspects, where dry snow prevails. Southwest wind will continue to blow any available snow into lee terrain features in the high alpine.

Three weak layers may be found in the middle of the snowpack:

  • A layer of surface hoar and a crust that formed in mid-March is 50 to 80 cm below the snow surface.

  • A layer of surface hoar that formed in early March is buried 70 to 120 cm.

  • A layer of facetted grains and a crust that formed mid-February is buried 120 to 200 cm deep.

The remainder of the snowpack is consolidated.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Friday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

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.

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.