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Archived

Avalanche Forecast

Mar 14th, 2015–Mar 15th, 2015
Alpine
3: Considerable
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be considerable
Treeline
3: Considerable
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be considerable
Below Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be moderate
Alpine
3: Considerable
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be considerable
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
1: Low
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low
Alpine
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
1: Low
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low

Regions: Northwest Coastal.

With the amount of recent snow and strong winds, backcountry riding will require careful terrain consideration

Confidence

Fair - Due to the number and quality of field observations

Weather Forecast

The Northwest Coastal region should see some sunny skies and dry out a bit before the next light Pacific system arrives late Monday. Freezing levels should drop close to valley bottom overnight and rise during the day to around 1200m.For more information check out the Mountain Weather Forecast at: https://avalanche.ca/weather

Avalanche Summary

Limited observations yesterday because of the intensity and low ceilings associated with the storm. One commercial operation, however,  produced impressive results with explosives and reported several size 1.5's,  2 size 2's, and one size 3 avalanche in the recent storm slab.

Snowpack Summary

Strong southwest winds will have built dense slabs on lee features, and added additional load to the previous storm slab. Commercial operators are  reporting 100+cm of new snow from this recent storm !There are a variety of old buried layers that include hard wind slabs, hard crusts, surface hoar, and/or surface facets. The recent lack of large avalanches suggests reasonable bonds at these interfaces, but we I would remain cautious of steeper, high-consequence slopes. A release on any of these buried layers could be large and destructive . At the base of the snowpack, weak facets may be found, particularly on shallow alpine slopes in the north of the region. Cornices are continuing to grow and will be potentially unstable. Recent rapid loading and strong winds are a major concern right now. Operators are estimating 50+cm of storm snow at upper elevations.

Avalanche Problems

Storm Slabs

Large amounts of new snow with strong winds will make for touchy conditions for a few days
Choose conservative lines and watch for clues of instability.>Be cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.>Stay well back from cornices.>Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.>

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood: Likely

Expected Size: 1 - 5