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

Mar 24th, 2025–Mar 25th, 2025

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

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Use conservative terrain selection.

New snow sees warming or rain for the first time, rapidly destabilizing the snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

We expect avalanches will remain easy to trigger with snowfall, rain, and warming.

On Sunday, sluffing was reported at Mt Washington.

On Saturday, storm, wind, and wet loose avalanches were reported near Mt Arrowsmith up to size 2. See this MIN for more details.

Snowpack Summary

Above 2000 m, 50 cm of storm snow has been redistributed by strong south winds, so deeper deposits exist on north- and east-facing slopes. The surface is expected to become moist even at upper elevations on Tuesday. Below 2000 m, upwards of 50 mm of rain has soaked the upper snowpack.

A robust crust, formed in early March, can be found in the mid-pack. The snow above is well bonded to this crust.

Below this, the snowpack is well consolidated and strong.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 15 mm, falling as snow above 2000 m. 60 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 2 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with trace precipitation. 50 to 60 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level rises to 3000 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with trace precipitation. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 9 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with 25 to 50 mm, falling as snow above 1500 m. 60 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.
  • Keep in mind that the high density of wet avalanches can make them destructive.

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.

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.