Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 8th, 2023–Apr 9th, 2023

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
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.

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Avoid avalanche terrain. Sunday's atmospheric river will bring the heaviest rain and snow yet.

Widespread natural activity is expected at all elevations.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Natural activity was reported on Friday, with dry snow avalanches at high elevations and wet avalanches at lower elevations where significant rain was received. Terrain that experienced sunny breaks on Friday also saw increased natural activity within the storm snow. Check out the field teams MIN for more information.

Widespread natural activity is expected to continue with more snow and rain over Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Below 1000 m heavy rainfall over several days has continued to saturate the snowpack creating wet snow.

Above 1000m, storm snow accumulations will reach 60 cm in the east and may exceed 1 m in the east. Above 1500 m snow is expected to be mostly dry, and redistributed into deeper deposits on north-facing terrain features by strong southerly winds. Between 1000-1500 m a mix of dry and moist snow can be found.

The storm snow sits over a melt-freeze crust at mid-elevations, and over settling dry snow at high elevations on shaded slopes. The middle and lower snowpack is strong and well-bonded.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Snowfall returns near midnight above 1000m, and rain below. Precipitation is heaviest in the west as usual, with 40mm likely to produce 20 cm of snow, and 20mm in the east likely to produce 10 cm of snow. Strong southerly winds.

Sunday

The storm becomes even more intense. Strong to extreme southerly winds are expected in all areas.

East Island: Up to 50 mm is expected over the day, producing 25 cm of snow above 1000 m, and rain below.

West Island/Sutton Pass: Snow levels around 500 m, with 100mm producing up to 50 cm of wet snow and rain below.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with light southwest winds. No snowfall is expected. Freezing levels around 1000 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with light southwest winds. Trace amounts of snow are possible. Freezing levels around 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, avalanches may run surprisingly far.

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.