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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 13th, 2024–Apr 14th, 2024

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

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Take care around ridgelines where wind slabs may linger.

Minimize your exposure to sun affected slopes. Sunshine and rising temperatures will increase the potential for wet avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday a rider accidentally triggered a size 1 wind slab near ridgeline on a north facing slope.

Sun and rising temperatures produced loose wet activity on many steep slopes. We expect this to continue as temperatures remain high.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of moist or wet snow exists on sun affected slopes, and shaded aspects to around 2000 m. This surface snow may not refreeze overnight leading to soft and slushy conditions, ideal for wet snow avalanches. On north facing slopes near ridgelines, deposits of dry snow can be found, affected by the previous strong southwesterly winds.

Check out this MIN from Mt Matier.

Below treeline elevations have minimal snow cover, if any at all. Expect challenging travel conditions with hazards like rocks, stumps and open creeks.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Mostly clear skies. 10-30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Freezing level remains above 2000 m in some areas.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20-40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures range from +7 to +2 °C. Freezing level peaks at 2500 m and then drops to 1800 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. 20-40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level drops to 1500 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. 10-20 km/h northerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level around 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remember that in the spring strong solar radiation and warm temperatures can weaken the snow in a matter of minutes.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.

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.