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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 11th, 2023–Mar 12th, 2023

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

Regions

South Coast, Garibaldi, Powell River, Tantalus, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

As snow piles up expect reactive storm slabs to form.

If you see 20 cm or more of new snow, expect the hazard to go up.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

To the immediate north of our region, there were three wind slab avalanches reported. These were size ones that were triggered accidentally and naturally. These were found at elevations as low as below treeline. With incoming snow and wind, expect to find similar conditions in our region on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

The 20 cm that has been accumulating since Friday night will fall on a crust on solar aspects and at lower elevations, it may not bond well. Southerly winds have and continue to create wind slabs.

In general, the mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and bonded.

If you are a visual learner click here to get a look and explanation of the current snowpack.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds south 20 to 35 km/h, freezing levels just under 1000 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, trace accumulation with snow arriving in the evening, winds southeast 25 km/h gusting to 40, freezing levels reaching 1200 m.

Monday

Cloudy, starting Sunday night there will be up to 80 mm of precipitation falling as snow at treeline and above, winds 25 km/h gusting to 75, with freezing levels rising to 1700 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with sunny periods late in the day, 10 to 20 cm accumulation with higher amounts to the western regions, winds southwest 30 km.h, treeline temperatures -5 °C with freezing levels to 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.