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

Dec 21st, 2023–Dec 22nd, 2023

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

Regions

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

Start on small slopes and check how well the new snow is sticking before committing to your line.

Avalanches are likely in wind loaded terrain.

Travel carefully due to early season hazards.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported before 4pm on Thursday.

Please help out your backcountry community by submitting a MIN report if you head out to the backcountry.

Snowpack Summary

Moderate snow and rainfall arriving with strong southwest wind and cooling temperatures will likely leave us with a variety of snow surfaces. Expect wind-scoured ground and crusts, or hard wind slabs in the alpine, reactive slabs or wet snow at treeline. Below treeline, you'll find dirt, or shallow, heavy, moist or wet snow.

Warm temperatures and rain through the week soaked and shrunk the snowpack. Snow depth is 40-90 cm and decreases rapidly below the 1000 m elevation mark.

Only specific terrain features with smooth ground cover, gullies, or established avalanche paths are above the threshold for avalanches.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy. Mixed precipitation. 10-25 cm of snow above 1500 m, but expect it to be snowing as low as 750 m by the morning. Strong southwest ridgetop wind.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 2-5 cm of snow expected. Freezing level around 750 m. Treeline temperature around -4 °C. Moderate northwest ridgetop wind.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. Trace of snow expected. Freezing level around 900 m. Treeline temperature around -3 °C. Moderate south or southwest ridgetop wind.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. Very light rain expected. Freezing level rising to 1500-2000 m. Treeline temperature around 1 °C. Extreme south or southwest ridgetop wind.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
  • Winter conditions may exist in gullies, alpine bowls, and around ridgelines.

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.