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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2026–Mar 6th, 2026

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

Regions

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Stick to small slopes with limited consequences and no overhead hazard.

There is uncertainty about the reactivity of persistent slabs, conservative terrain choices are your best defense.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

Last weekend, numerous large (up to size 3) avalanches were reported, both natural and human triggered, all suspected to have failed on the late January crust/facet layer. They were mostly at treeline, although two human triggered avalanches were in open, alpine or alpine-like terrain.

Looking forward, we expect that humans are likely to trigger avalanches in the recent storm snow, that could become larger and more destructive if they step-down to deeper weak layers.

Snowpack Summary

Storm totals are expected to reach 30 to 50 cm by Friday afternoon, along with continuing strong west winds, making for deeper and more reactive slabs in leeward and cross-loaded terrain.

Rain has saturated the top 10 to 20 cm below treeline.

The new and settling snow overlies a melt-freeze crust on solar aspects and lower elevations, and wind-affected surfaces at higher elevations.

50-100 cm below the snow surface, two persistent weak layers can be found, buried in late January and early February. These weak, sugary facets (over a crust on the late January layer), have the potential to produce large, destructive avalanches.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30-50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Friday
Cloudy. 4 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind, increasing to 60 km/h by the end of the day. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 25 cm of snow. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Remote triggering is a big concern, be aware of the potential for wide propagations and large, destructive avalanches at all elevations.

Problems

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.

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.