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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 20th, 2021–Mar 21st, 2021

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

Regions

South Coast Inland.

Heightened avalanche conditions exist on steep slopes that have been loaded by the wind.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the timing of the incoming weather system.

Weather Forecast

A cold front crossing the region on Sunday night will bring 10-20 cm of new snow.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with some isolated flurries, 20-40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures drop to -8 C.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with flurries picking up in the afternoon with 5-10 cm of snow by the evening, 40-60 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

MONDAY: Another 5-10 cm of snow by the morning then sunny in the afternoon, 20-30 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy, 20-30 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday there were reports of a few small cornice releases around the Duffey area and some glide slab releases in the Cascades. With continued wind and snowfall on Sunday, wind slabs could be reactive to human triggering on steep terrain features.

Snowpack Summary

Another 5-10 cm of new snow by Sunday afternoon will add to the 15-30 cm of recent snow from the past few days. This snow has been accompanied with moderate to strong wind from the south and west, so reactive wind slabs could be found in lee terrain features. This new snow overlies a melt-freeze crust up to around 1700 m and higher on sun-exposed slopes or dry snow on northerly aspects at high elevations.

Remember that cornices along ridgelines are large at this time of year and always have the possibility of failing naturally or from the weight of a human.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.