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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 16th, 2026–Apr 17th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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

South Coast, Powell River, Tantalus, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron, Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Wind slabs may remain triggerable on steep, upper elevation wind-loaded features.

Check for slabs before entering committing terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.
  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.

Avalanche Summary

Tuesday’s storm likely produced some natural avalanches, howver none have been reported. Observations are extremely limited this time of year.

Looking ahead, wind slabs will continue to be most concerning on lee north and east facing features. Wet loose avalanches will be possible during times of sun-exposure and warming on south through west aspects.

Snowpack Summary

Tuesday’s winter storm delivered about 50 cm to the North Shore, 30 cm in the Coquihalla, and 15 cm in Manning Park. Another 5 to 10 cm fell in the Cascades on Wednesday night.

This storm snow should settle and bond to the underlying crust fairly rapidly, but wind slabs may still exist at upper elevations on shady northerly through easterly slopes.

Sun-affected slopes likely have a thin new sun crust which may melt and soften with daytime warming.

The remaining snowpack shows no concerning layers at this time, and areas below treeline are largely below the threshold for avalanche activity.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Mostly clear skies. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m dropping to 1000 m.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1600 m.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level rising to 2100 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 mm of rain at treeline. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

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.