Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Apr 12 – 13, 2018Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Forecast new snow and strong winds Thursday night are expected to create fresh storm slabs reactive to human triggers in wind effected terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2
    New snow may bond poorly to an underlying crust. Watch for fresh storm slabs in leeward areas near ridge crests and convex features.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    When the sun comes out it will quickly weaken the new snow and cause loose wet avalanching on steep solar slopes.

Confidence

Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

Weather Forecast

TONIGHT: 5-10 cm new snow. Strong to extreme southeasterly ridgetop winds. Freezing level around 500 m.FRIDAY: 5-10 cm new snow. Strong southerly ridgetop winds. Freezing level around 1000 m.SATURDAY: 5-10 cm new snow. Light southeasterly ridgetop winds. Freezing level around 1000 m.SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Light northeasterly ridgetop winds. Freezing level rising to around 1300 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, a size 2.5 persistent slab avalanche was remotely triggered by a group of skiers on a ridgetop from 10 m away. The avalanche failed on surface hoar about 70 cm deep on a north aspect at 1800 m. A size 2 wet slab was triggered by day-time warming in the same area near Bear Pass.

Snowpack Summary

5-15 cm of new snow and strong southeasterly winds have formed fresh storm slabs.In the south of the region, two layers of surface hoar are buried approximately 70-100 cm deep. The layers are most prominent on north to east aspects and were buried early-March and mid-March. In the north of the region, these layers are around 40 cm deep.Bellow these March layers the mid-pack is generally well-settled and strong. However, shallower parts of the region, such as the far north, have weak sugary facets near the bottom of the snowpack.

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