Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 9th, 2026–Mar 10th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

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

Low-density snow available for transport and moderate southwest wind is a recipe for fresh wind slab formation.

Cautious route finding and conservative decision-making is essential.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, in the Ningunsaw east of highway 37, two very large natural persistent slab avalanches were reported.

Near Terrace, natural avalanche activity was reported including a very large natural wind slab release, a large wind slab, and several cornice triggered slab avalanches. Wind slabs remain a concern and are likely to be human-triggered.

This MIN has some good detail on recent avalanche activity in the Shames area.

Snowpack Summary

Incremental accumulation of new cold snow overlies various previous surfaces depending on aspect and elevation:

At treeline and above: heavily wind-affected over a settling upper snowpack.
Below treeline: a surface crust forming on moist or refrozen snow over a settling snowpack.

Below this, weak layers of surface hoar, facets and/or crusts remain a concern especially where a supportive crust has not yet formed.

Below this layer, the remaining snowpack is generally well settled and well bonded.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

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.
If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.
Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.