Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Jan 2 – 3, 2014Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–5
    Primarily a concern in Northern sections. A buried surface hoar layer in the middle of the snowpack could be human-triggered. and a weak facet/crust combo lurks near the ground.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–5
    Upside down storm slabs are particulary deep and weak on exposed north through southeast facing wind-loaded slopes and cross-loaded features in the alpine and treeline.

Confidence

Fair - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Friday: A mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation expected. Moderate NW winds and freezing levels around 600m. Saturday: Mainly cloudy but dry with light NW alpine winds and freezing levels around 500m. Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud but dry with freezing levels dropping to valley bottoms.

Avalanche Summary

No recent natural avalanches have been reported.

Snowpack Summary

In general the snowpack seems shallower and more faceted in the northern part of the region, and deeper with more wind and storm slab problems in the south. A significant amount of recent storm snow is settling rapidly, but will likely remain unstable for at least a few days after the weather finally clears. However, persistent weaknesses including facets and surface hoar buried near the end of December, will likely remain primed for triggering. Basal facets remain a concern in shallow snowpack areas and an overlying snowpack structure favoring step-down fractures can contribute to the persistence of this deep slab problem.

Regions covered