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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 26th, 2023–Mar 27th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson.

Tune in to the changing conditions of elevation, aspect, and time of day.

Be cautious in wind-affected terrain and avoid steep sun-exposed slopes and overhead hazard during periods of strong sun.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, a few small (size 1) wet slab avalanches were observed on a North east aspect.

A week ago, two natural size 3 persistent slab avalanches were observed. Both these avalanches ran to valley bottom and are suspected to have released on a weak layer of surface hoar. Two, size 1.5 persistent slab avalanches were remotely triggered by a helicopter on the same layer.

Snowpack Summary

Cool, clear weather has promoted surface faceting and surface hoar growth. A crust exist on all aspects below 1800m and on steep south facing aspects.

At treeline and below, a weak layer of rounding surface hoar is found 20-50 cm down in sheltered terrain. No recent reactivity has been observed.

The lower snowpack presents as consolidated and strong.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Clear periods. Alpine temperatures drop to a low of -4 °C. Ridge wind east 15-35 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Monday

Sunny. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -1 °C. Ridge wind northeast 10-25 km/h. Freezing level rises to 1000 metres.

Tuesday

Sunny. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 3 °C. Ridge wind 15 to 40 km/h from the northeast. Freezing level rises to 2300 metres.

Wednesday

Sunny with cloudy periods. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 3 °C. Ridge wind light from the north. Freezing level rises to 1400 metres.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

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.