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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 12th, 2025–Mar 13th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Human triggered wind slabs remain possible. Use extra caution on north facing slopes at ridgeline.

Back off solar slopes if the sun is out; natural avalanche activity can spike.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, several dry loose avalanches up to size 1 were reported.

Wind slabs on northerly facing slopes at upper elevations may be reactive to human triggering on Thursday.

When the sun comes out, natural avalanche activity will spike, especially on solar slopes.

Snowpack Summary

New snow accompanied by strong to southwest wind will likely form fresh wind slabs at upper elevations on leeward slopes.

This brings 70 to 100 cm (deeper totals in leeward terrain) of recent storm snow, which sits above a crust and a mix of facets and surface hoar that formed earlier this month. Solar slopes will see moist snow if the sun is out.

The mid and lower snowpack is strong and dense with depths of near 400 cm at treeline elevations.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 600 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with some sunny periods and isolated flurries. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

Friday

Cloudy with 5 cm. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 70 to 100 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
  • Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.

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.

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.