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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 26th, 2014–Apr 27th, 2014

Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

We are no longer issuing danger ratings for this region due to a lack of field data.Please refer to this blog post for more insight into managing the current conditions.

Weather Forecast

Synopsis: The weather should remain cool and unsettled through Monday. Expect light snow falls with rain below 1000 metres as the freezing levels drop to 1000 metres overnight and rise up to about 1700 metres during the day. A ridge of high pressure is forecast to build on Monday, bringing clear skies, very warm temperatures, and rapidly rising freezing levels with no overnight freezing.

Avalanche Summary

Expect new wind slabs and thin storm slabs to develop above recent melt-freeze crusts. These slabs may be easily triggered due to the hard sliding layer of the melt-freeze crust. Daily melt-freeze cycles may be weakening cornices, and they may fall off naturally or be easily triggered. Rain at lower elevations may cause new snow to weaken rapidly and slide out of steep terrain, sometimes gathering mass in constrained terrain features.

Snowpack Summary

The spring snow-pack is comprised of many layers of melt-freeze crusts, thin new snow layers, and stiff wind slabs in the alpine. The snow-pack may be very different depending on elevation, with moist or wet snow in the valleys and near winter conditions in the alpine. The weather can change rapidly at this time of year, and this may result in different types of avalanche problems. Danger is most likely to increase if there is a substantial new snow storm with wind, or if the temperatures increase rapidly with or without sunshine. Our plan is to place a link in the headline that explains general risk scenarios associated with the forecast weather. We will not issue danger ratings for this region due to the lack of data as a result of professional operators closing for the season.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.