Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 21st, 2026–Mar 22nd, 2026

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.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Seven Sisters, Howson, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Lingering storm slabs are most likely to trigger in wind affected terrain.

Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about alpine conditions due to limited field observations.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Friday.

A widespread natural storm slab avalanche cycle up to size 3 occurred over the last week on all aspects/elevations.

Observations in this region are very limited. If you head out into the backcountry, let us know what you're seeing by submitting a MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Cornices are large and looming. Avoid traveling underneath them.

Recent snowfall amounts have varied from 65 to 150 cm, with the highest amounts being in the south of the region. The recent snow and strong southwest winds have formed storm slabs overlying a weak layer of surface hoar and/or facets that will be most likely to trigger in wind affected terrain.

There are multiple persistent weak layers consisting of crust/facets or surface hoar in the top 200 cm of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.