Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Mar 23 – 24, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

Back off sun affected slopes as snow becomes wet and slushy.

While dry snow may remain on north facing features at treeline and alpine elevations, weak layers are possible to trigger here.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3.5

    Human triggering remains a concern with buried weak layers. Minimize your exposure to large open slopes, especially on shallower terrain features at alpine and treeline.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2.5

    The potential for wet avalanches will increase throughout the day with warm and sunny conditions, particularly on steep south-facing terrain. Avoid sun affected terrain as the surface crust breaks down.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Friday. Loose wet avalanches were observed from steep solar slopes earlier this week. Avalanches ranged from size 1-2.5, with the larger avalanches scouring to ground.

The last persistent slab activity was reported on Wednesday to size 3. This occurred on south facing alpine slopes likely triggered by daytime warming. Size 2 avalanches were also skier triggered in shallow rocky areas, producing persistent slab avalanches.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Clear skies. Light and variable winds. Freezing levels remain around 2000 m overnight.

Sunday

Sunny. 20-30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4. Freezing levels remain around 2000 m throughout the day.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level remains around 1200 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level remains around 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.

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