Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 8th, 2019–Jan 9th, 2019

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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

South Coast.

Snow, wind and warming are combining to create avalanche conditions.

Confidence

Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: 20-25 cm snow. Freezing level near 1200 m. Moderate to strong south-westerly winds. WEDNESDAY: 15-20 cm snow above about 1500 m, with slush/rain below. Moderate to strong south-westerly winds. Expect a further 25-30 mm/cm overnight. THURSDAY: 10 cm snow above about 1700 m, with slush/rain below. Moderate to strong south-westerly winds. Expect a further 10 mm/cm overnight. FRIDAY: 5 cm snow above about 2000 m. Freezing level rising through the day to near 2100 m. More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported. Please submit any observations you have to the Mountain Information Network here.

Snowpack Summary

New snow is expected to create storm slabs at treeline and above. At lower elevations, rain on snow can rapidly lead to loose wet avalanches. At alpine and treeline elevations in the north of the region, 70-100 cm recent storm snow is slowly settling. Recent snowpack tests around treeline indicated some storm snow instabilities. Below the recent storm snow, a melt freeze crust exists, with associated facets (sugar snow) in some areas. Further south on the North Shore mountains, around 10 cm snow overlies a crust.

Problems

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.

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.