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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 5th, 2025–Jan 6th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Freezing levels are forecast to rise, wet avalanche hazard will increase as the snow turns moist.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, skiers triggered a size 2 avalanche in the Mt Washington backcountry.

On Thursday and Friday, riders triggered small (size 1-1.5) wind slab avalanches in lee features at upper elevations. (Slidetastic 5040 MIN)

On Friday morning, explosives triggered several small wind slab avalanches from steep northerly terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Sun and rising freezing levels will turn most surfaces moist by Monday afternoon. Dry snow and lingering wind slabs may persist on northerly aspects at the highest elevations.

Wind, wet flurries, and rising temperatures have encouraged 20 to 40 cm of recent snow to settle. This covers 50 to 80 cm of older snow over a series of crusts. Overall the lower snowpack is bonded and well-settled.

Below 1500 m, surfaces may be moist or crusty.

Snowpack depths at treeline average 200 to 300 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Cloudy with starry breaks. 5 to 15 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Monday

Sunny. 15 to 25 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +3 °C, freezing level rising above 2500 m.

Tuesday

Sun and cloud. 60 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +3 °C, freezing level 2300 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 5 cm. 30 to 50 km/h ridgetop southwest wind. Treeline temperature +1°C, freezing level 2300 m..

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Avoid sun-exposed slopes, especially if the snow surface is moist or wet.

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.