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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 15th, 2026–Apr 16th, 2026

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

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Kispiox, Ningunsaw.

The possibility of a large persistent slab avalanche means continuing to avoid large, steep, open slopes.

These avalanches may be hard to trigger, but the consequences would be serious.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

While details are lacking, a size 3 persistent slab avalanche with a wide propagation was remotely triggered on a north-facing alpine slope on Friday. It appeared to occur on a steep, rocky slope with a thin-to-thick snowpack.

On Tuesday, a variety of small to large (size 1-2) natural and explosive triggered avalanches were reported around the region. Wind and Storm slabs in in the alpine, and dry loose in steep terrain.

Snowpack Summary

In the alpine, 20-40 cm of recent snow is settling over crusty surfaces across most terrain, except in high alpine north-facing areas, where dry, wintry snow can still be found. Previous moderate to strong winds (mostly from the southwest) redistributed this loose snow into deeper deposits on leeward slopes.

In most places below treeline, the upper snowpack is moist, and possibly even isothermal at low elevations.

Several persistent weak layers are buried up to 250 cm deep. While triggering these layers is becoming unlikely, they present a low-probability, high-consequence problem. A cornice fall (large load) may be enough to trigger this slab.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy. 15 km/h west ridgetop wind, picking up to 25-40 km/h through the night. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 15-35 km/h west ridgetop wind, easing slightly through the day. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

Problems

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.

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.