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

Jan 23rd, 2023–Jan 24th, 2023

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Seek out sheltered terrain where snow has not been wind-affected to find the best riding.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

There was a report of a size 1.5 wind slab avalanche at treeline on a north aspect in Manning Park on Saturday. Otherwise, no new avalanches have been reported in this region.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of snow sits over a thick supportive crust below 2000 m. In wind-exposed features, winds have transported available snow into wind slabs.

Below this, the snowpack is considered settled. Weak layers exist within the mid and lower snowpack but the thick crusts sitting above them make triggering avalanches on these layers unlikely.

Snowpack depths are roughly 150 cm at treeline and taper rapidly below 1500 m.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with scattered flurries, 2 cm accumulation. Westerly ridgetop winds of 15-30 km/h. Overnight temperature low -4C. Freezing level of 700 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with scattered flurries easing in the evening, 2 cm accumulation. Westerly ridge top winds 20 km/h gusting 35 km/h. 1500m temperature high of -2C. Freezing levels of 1000 m during the day. 

Wednesday

Sunny with cloudy periods. Light westerly winds occasionally gusting to 30 km/h. 1500m temperature high of +1C. An above freezing layer is present between 1500-2800m.

Thursday

Cloudy with sunny periods. Light westerly winds occasionally gusting to 30 km/h. 1500m temperature high of 0C. An above freezing layer is present between 1500-2800m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.

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.