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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 9th, 2024–Apr 10th, 2024

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead.

20 to 30 cm of recent snow and strong wind have formed wind slabs on lee features at treeline and above.

Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs are more likely.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Numerous naturally triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported on primarily northerly aspects in the alpine on Monday.

If you go into the backcountry, please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 30 cm of recent snow and strong southwest wind have formed wind slabs on lee features at treeline and above.

The recent snow overlies a crust on all slopes except true north facing terrain at upper elevations where the previous snow remained dry.

Many areas below treeline are either snow free or have very thin snow coverage. Expect difficult travel at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4° C. Freezing level 800 m.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with flurries, 10 to 15 cm snow. 40 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Friday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Check out the Mountain Weather Forecast for additional weather information.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.

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.