Avalanche forecast

South Coast

Jan 17 – 18, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Enough snow and wind could tip the avalanches danger to HIGH at alpine elevations on Sunday. Back off if you encounter any clues like recent avalanches, whumpfing or shooting cracks.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–5
    Strong winds are likely to shift new snow into deep wind slabs on lee slopes. These may bond poorly to a crust/surface hoar layer below.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Warming temperatures may help create storm slabs. The weight of a person or snowmobile could be enough to trigger one.

Confidence

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Sunday

Weather Forecast

Overnight Saturday, 10-25 cm snow is expected, with the freezing level rising to around 1600 m towards the end of the precipitation. Expect strong to gale SW winds. By late Monday, precipitation and wind are expected to ease. Light snow is possible on Tuesday.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm snow is likely to be shifted by strong winds into slabs overlying a hard crust or surface hoar. These may be easy to trigger with the weight of a person or snowmobile. Deeper snowpack weaknesses are still on our radar, but seem to be dormant for the time being.

Regions covered