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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 21st, 2020–Mar 22nd, 2020

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

Keep your risk tolerance to a minimum while public health resources are strained. Be sure to post your observations to the Mountain Information Network if you are heading out! 

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Saturday night: Clear. Light north winds shifting west.

Sunday: Becoming cloudy over the day with flurries beginning overnight. Light to moderate southwest winds increasing over the day. Alpine temperatures falling from about -5 to -8.

Monday: Cloudy with easing flurries bringing about 5 cm of new snow, 10-15 cm with overnight accumulations. Light southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -10.

Tuesday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light variable winds. Alpine high temperatures around -9.

Avalanche Summary

Warm, sunny weather over recent days resulted in small wet loose avalanches (size 1-1.5) on south-facing slopes, especially in steep rocky terrain. See the photo in this MIN report for an example.

Looking forward, incoming cloud cover may temper natural wet loose and cornice activity on Sunday. On Sunday night an incoming storm should deliver enough new snow to bring fresh surface instabilities back into the picture. 

If you decide to travel in the backcountry, consider sharing your observations with us and fellow recreationists via the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Surface conditions are a variable mix of crusts, hard wind slabs, and soft faceted snow, with surface crusts becoming moist on sun-exposed slopes and at lower elevations each day. 

The snowpack is generally strong and settled, with the exception of some areas in the eastern and northern parts of the region that have weak faceted snow near the base of the snowpack. However, this layer is considered dormant and has not produced an avalanche since February 20.

Terrain and Travel

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Minimize your exposure time below cornices.

Problems

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.