Avalanche forecast

South Coast

Apr 5 – 6, 2015Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

The hazard my go higher than forecast on solar aspects with daytime warming.  Pay close attention to cornice features.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Wind loaded features may produce an avalanche large enough to injure and bury a rider.  There is also the potential for a small avalanche to trigger a deeply buried week layer.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    3–5
    The dense slab on this layer remains a concern.  A small avalanche or a cornice failure might trigger this weakness and produce a large, destructive avalanche

Confidence

Fair - Due to the number and quality of field observations

Weather Forecast

Possible 5 cm tonight, then a trace on Monday night as the remnants of a Pacific frontal system to the south move through the area. Sunny with cloudy periods for the remainder of the forecast period. Winds light generally from the south

Avalanche Summary

Moist loose avalanches reported on solar aspects below 1900m. No other reports from the area. Cornices are now becoming a concern as the Spring temps progress

Snowpack Summary

20-30 cm of low density storm snow is sitting on a strong and supportive rain crust that was buried last Saturday and extends as high as 2100m. West through southwesterly winds have shifted these new accumulations into touchy wind slabs in exposed lee terrain, especially high NE aspects. A facet/crust persistent weakness that was buried in mid-March is now approximately 50-100 cm down. In recent snowpack tests, it was found down 55 cm near the Duffey Lake Road and produced moderate sudden results. This remains a serious concern in the region because of it's potential for very large avalanches. Cornices are now large and mature and may collapse with warming and spring-like temperatures.

Regions covered