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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2022–Apr 3rd, 2022

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal.

Strong winds and fresh snow overnight will quickly form touchy slabs. Choose conservative terrain and avoid overhead hazards.

Confidence

Moderate - We are confident the likelihood of avalanche will increase with the arrival of the forecast weather.

Weather Forecast

Saturday night: Stormy, 10-30 cm snow expected overnight, the highest precipitation amounts are forecast near Kitimat and along the coast, and quickly taper eastward and inland. Strong south wind gusting to extreme. Ridgeline low -4 C overnight.

Sunday: Stormy and unsettled, with a variable 5-10 cm forecast through the day. Strong to extreme winds peaking overnight and decreasing to moderate southwesterlies by the end of the day. Ridgeline high -3 C.

Monday: Cloudy with flurries and sunny breaks, up to 10 cm. Moderate west wind. Ridgeline high 0 C.

Tuesday: Flurries, trace to 5 cm. Moderate westerly wind. Ridgeline high -4 C.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, wind slabs to size 1.5 were reactive to skiers, reported on northerly aspects with crown depths 15-40 cm. On Wednesday, explosives in the north of the region triggered storm slabs to size 2.

Earlier in the week natural cornice falls and wet loose avalanches were observed throughout the region.

Snowpack Summary

Strong winds will quickly impact accumulating snowfall. Below the new snow, a crust can be found on all aspects and elevations except high elevation north-facing terrain. In the north of the region, small surface hoar may be found above this crust. With warm, spring storms, expect snowfall accumulations to decrease with elevation and transition to moist snow or rain below tree line.

A weak layer of surface hoar from mid-March buried 70-120 cm deep can still be found but is considered dormant around the Terrace area. However, in the far north of the region, it produced large avalanches as recently as Sunday.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of strong wind.
  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.