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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 27th, 2024–Feb 28th, 2024

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist at all elevations. Avoid all avalanche terrain.

Natural avalanche activity is expected with heavy snowfall and strong winds.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, several small loose dry avalanches were reported below treeline.

Widespread natural avalanche activity is expected to begin on Wednesday as snow and wind develop sensitive storm slabs.

Snowpack Summary

Storm snow accumulates over wind-affected surfaces and old wind slabs in exposed areas and 30 to 60 cm of settling snow in sheltered areas.

Multiple weak layers exist in the upper and mid snowpack. The most concerning weak layer is a widespread crust found down 60 to 100 cm, with weak, faceted snow immediately above it. This layer will need time to adjust to the new snow load.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing levels rise to 700 m through the night.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 30 to 50 cm of snow above the snow rain line. 60 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rises to 1200 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 4 to 9 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level drops to 800 m.

Friday

Partly cloudy with 1 to 4 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level rises to 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy snowfall.
  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.