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

Feb 25th, 2024–Feb 26th, 2024

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist at higher elevations where new snow struggles to bond to surfaces below

Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, the stormy conditions and poor visibility kept many users and operators out of the backcountry. No new avalanches have been reported however we expect users who head into the backcountry on Monday will see evidence of a natural storm slab avalanche cycle to size 2 that occurred during the storm.

Snowpack Summary

By Monday morning 25 to 40 cm of storm snow overlies a variety of surfaces. Most concerning is the large surface hoar found in sheltered terrain, and a crust on south-facing slopes. In exposed terrain at higher elevations, new snow covers old wind-affected surfaces.

A widespread crust is found down 60 to 100 cm, with weak, faceted snow immediately above it. Uncertainty exists over whether this layer will become active with the heavy load of new snow.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C. Freezing levels drop to 500 m.

Monday

Partly cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C. Freezing level hovers around 500 m.

Tuesday

Increasing clouds with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with snow switching to rain, accumulation 10 to 20 cm above the rain-snow line. Freezing level rises to 1500 m. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. 

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.