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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 15th, 2024–Feb 16th, 2024

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Keep your guard up in steep open terrain! Wind slabs are bonding poorly to an underlying crust.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

The last reported avalanches were small loose avalanches on Tuesday. Widespread whumpfing was reported in the Coquihalla area on Tuesday, a sign that recent snow may be bonding poorly to the underlying crust and/or surface hoar layers.

Snowpack Summary

Wind and sun have created variable surface conditions. Outflow wind has heavily impacted open terrain, including at lower elevations.

A widespread crust exists 30 cm below the surface, and surface hoar has been found above the crust in some parts of the region. The snowpack is strong and bonded below the crust.

Conditions remain rugged at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear skies. 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Friday

Sunny. 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C with freezing level climbing to 1200 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 2 to 4 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C with freezing level around 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.