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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 11th, 2025–Jan 12th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Periods of low hazard can be a good time to explore complex terrain.If the snow surface is wet, loose wet avalanches may be possible.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

The field team reported a small size 1 loose avalanche from steep terrain near Mt. Cain on Friday.

Looking forward, over the next few days we expect the likelihood of triggering loose wet avalanches to be possible during the warmest parts of the day.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 25 cm of snow fell at upper elevations on the north Island, with 5–15 cm elsewhere, likely turning to rain below 1300–1500 m. The new snow is bonding well, though wind slabs may linger on high elevation east slopes. Lower elevations and sunny slopes have wet or crusty snow, while dry snow may remain on shady alpine slopes. The snowpack is well-settled with some crust layers, and treeline depths average 200–300 cm.

Check out this MIN post from our field team visiting Mt. Cain on Friday for further snowpack details.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Clear. 45 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Sunday

Sunny. 35 to 55 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level rising from 700 to 2400 m.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +3 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny. 35 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.

Problems

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.