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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 26th, 2025–Feb 27th, 2025

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

The sensitive persistent weak layer remains our main concern at treeline and above.

Rider-triggered avalanches are likely, and avalanches can be destructive.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small loose wet avalanches were observed on Wednesday from steep solar slopes in the Coquihalla.

Evidence of natural avalanches from the past weekend's storm is still visible throughout the region, with numerous very large (size 3.5 to 4) persistent slabs with impressive crowns (100 to 200 cm) in the Manning region.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 40 cm of rapidly settling storm snow is found at treeline and above. Wind-affected snow is present in lee features, while a sun crust is found on southerly slopes.

A weak layer of faceted snow or surface hoar is now buried 50 to 60 cm deep and present in higher elevations, particularly shaded terrain.

A crust from December exists buried 100 to 150 cm deep, with facets around it in shallow areas.

At lower elevations, the snow is wet, heavy and water-saturated.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature stable around +0°C. Freezing level rising to 2200 m.

Thursday

Mix of sun and clouds. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4°C. Freezing level around 2400 m.

Friday

Mostly sunny. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature stable around +5°C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.

Saturday

Mix of sun and clouds. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +8°C. Freezing level reaching 2700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.

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.

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.