Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 9th, 2019–Apr 10th, 2019

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal.

Wind slabs will likely be more reactive on North facing, high alpine slopes. Especially where they sit above a buried crust. Loose wet avalanches are more likely to occur when the sun comes out.

Confidence

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain

Weather Forecast

As the current low pressure system tracks South the region will see a fairly unsettled weather pattern through the forecast period. TUESDAY NIGHT: Light snow amounts 5-15 cm at upper elevations and freezing levels 700 m. Ridgetop winds light with strong consistent gusts from the southwest.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with some sunny periods and light snow 3-5 cm. Alpine temperatures near -1 and freezing levels 1000 m. Ridgetop winds 10-30 km/h from the southwest.THURSDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures near 0 degrees and freezing levels 1400 m. Ridgetop winds light from the southwest.FRIDAY: Cloudy with some sunny periods. Alpine temperatures near 0 to 3 degrees and freezing levels 1400 m. Ridgetop winds light with strong SW gusts.

Avalanche Summary

Reports on Tuesday indicated no recent avalanche activity. We received a great MIN report from the Shames backcountry that describes an active wet loose avalanche cycle to size 1.5, more details here. A combination of new snow and wind may increase the reactivity of the existing wind slabs. The sun can really pack a punch this time of year and trigger loose wet avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

New storm snow expected overnight on Tuesday will add to the 10 to 40 cm of storm snow from last weekend that now rests on a weak layer buried April 4th which consists of crust, surface hoar and facets. The crust is widespread and up to 4 cm thick. Spotty surface hoar and facets have been reported on top of the crust on high elevation north facing slopes. Moderate to strong wind generally out of the south over the weekend likely formed fresh slabs which may remain sensitive to human triggering. North facing alpine terrain also has a layer of facets down 40 to 100 cm below the surface, but this layer has not been recently active and is likely trending towards dormancy.Below treeline the snowpack is isothermal throughout much of the forecast region.

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.