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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2025–Mar 29th, 2025

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, Manning, Skagit.

Avoid steep alpine rocky and wind-loaded areas, where triggering slabs is most likely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Reports have been very limited in this region. No avalanches have been reported since Tuesday, when a size 3.5 persistent slab was observed on a north alpine face that likely failed last weekend. Several loose wet avalanches on sunny slopes were also observed in this MIN post.

Looking forward: New snow and wind in the alpine may have built isolated, but reactive wind slabs on leeward (north though east) facing slopes.

Please consider sharing your observations to the MIN.

Snowpack Summary

Recent rain and warming saturated the upper snowpack forming wet snow or a crust on all aspects and elevations, except high north-facing alpine slopes. Up to 15 cm of new snow may now cover this old surface at treeline and above. Below 1800 m, the snowpack has shrunk considerably. A persistent weak layer of facets and surface hoar from February is now 90 to 150 cm deep, and a layer of facets and surface hoar from late January is buried 110 to 190 cm. These layers remain a concern, especially in the south and eastern parts of the region where the overall snowpack is shallower. Otherwise, the snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow above 1200 m, potential rain below. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1600m, dropping to 1000 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow above 1300 m, potential rain below. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Sunday

Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Mondayday

Cloudy, with 5 to 10 cm of snow above 1100 m, potential rain below. 15 to 30 km/h variable ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and slopes above cliffs.

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.