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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 8th, 2023–Apr 9th, 2023

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Be prepared to back off lines as snow accumulates through the day and the likelihood of avalanches increases.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

In the past couple days , a few natural thin wind slabs were observed in alpine and at treeline as well as loose wet avalanches (up to size 2) at treeline and below.

We suspect that rider triggerable storm and wind slabs will be found at all elevations on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

The storm on Sunday will bring another 15 cm of storm snow bringing recent totals to 40-50 cm. Wind slabs will form on west through east aspects due to strong southerly winds. Storm snow will overlie a crust on all solar slopes  and all aspects treeline and below.

The base of the snowpack remains faceted and weak. Avalanche activity has not been observed on this layer recently but concern remains for shallow rocky snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of new snow expected. Strong southerly winds and freezing levels falling to 1400 m.

Sunday

Stormy with 15 cm of new snow expected. Strong to extreme southerly winds and freezing levels rising to 1800 m with the snowline around 1000 m.

Monday

Cloudy with flurries bringing up to 5cm of new snow. Light to moderate southerly winds and freezing levels rising to 1500 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy  with up to 10cm of new snow possible. Moderate southwest winds and freezing levels rising to 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.