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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 20th, 2023–Mar 21st, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead.

The upper snowpack continues to adjust to the recent spring-like weather. Watch for surface snow turning wet and be wary of cornices.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Over the weekend several wet-loose avalanches to size 2 were reported, generally occurring on steep, solar aspects.

A few natural, cornice failures were also reported in the region.

Snowpack Summary

A melt-freeze crust formed on Sunday could be buried by 2 to 5 cm of new snow by Tuesday morning. The crust is widespread below roughly 2000 m and present on solar aspects above.

Up to 20 cm of dry, unconsolidated snow remains in sheltered, northerly-facing terrain above 2000 m.

In general, the mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace amount. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Light easterly ridgetop winds. Freezing level 1000 m.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Light northeast ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 2000 m.

Wednesday

Sunny. Treeline temperatures around 0 C. Very light ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 1800 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, up to 10 cm. Treeline temperatures 0 to -5 C. Light ridgetop winds. Freezing levels 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
  • Remember that in the spring strong solar radiation and warm temperatures can weaken the snow in a matter of minutes.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.