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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 27th, 2023–Feb 28th, 2023

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

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Wind slabs should be expected on most aspects at higher elevations.

Solar input is expected to increase today and where present the avalanche hazard will increase as well.

Seek out low-angle sheltered areas and minimize sun-exposed slopes at the height of the day.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Observations from this past weekend report of natural and skier triggered storm slabs and wind slabs up to size 2.

Huge thanks to those who contribute to the Mountain Information Network. If you head to the backcountry please help out your community by sharing your experiences.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 60 cm of low-density snow will have fallen in our region by Monday morning. Variable winds have and will continue to redistribute this snow so expect to find wind slabs on all aspects.

A crust that formed at the start of this past week can be found 35 to 45 cm down in sheltered areas. This crust is widespread and is expected to exist all the way to mountaintops. New snow and new wind slabs are not bonding well to the crust.

The lower snowpack contains a number of crusts but they are not a factor at the moment. It is consolidated and well-settled.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy, up to 5 cm accumulation in some locations, winds variable 15 km/h, treeline temperatures -8 ºC.

Tuesday

Sunny by lunchtime, no accumulation, winds northwest 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 ºC.

Wednesday

Increasing clouds, no accumulation, winds west switching to southwest 15 km/h increasing to 30, treeline temperatures hovering around -3 to 7 ºC.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, up to 15 cm starting in the early morning hours, winds west 23 to 35 km/h and gusting to 60, treeline temperatures -2 to -8 ºC.

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.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Loose avalanches may start small but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.

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.