Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Jan 11 – 12, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Wind slabs are still on the radar as the number one concern at this time.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Moderate to strong S-SW winds above 1000m will form wind slabs on lee slopes at upper elevations

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–5
    A small avalanche could produce enough force to trigger a deeply buried instability.

Confidence

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

Weather Forecast

A weak upper level trough will approach the coast on Monday bringing flurries to the region. As the trough moves inland on Tuesday, the North coast may see up to 25 cm of snow at higher elevations, and the possibility of rain up to 1500m. Winds will be light to moderate from the south throughout the forecast period. Wednesday will see a bit of clearing before the next pulse of moisture arrives later in the day. Freezing levels around 500m until Wednesday, when they will spike to2000m before coming back down on Thursday.

Avalanche Summary

Numerous radiation triggered sloughs were reported yesterday on steep south aspects, and 1 size 2 avalanche was reported on a South East aspect in steep un-skiable terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Strong winds have redistributed the recent storm snow, and rain in some areas has produced a surface crust layer that will be of concern with future snow loading. A buried surface hoar layer in the mid-snowpack is still on the radar in some northern sections , and the mid December crust can still be found in the middle of the snowpack. This layer has been reported to be sandwiched between facets and surface hoar in some places. The November crust near the bottom of the snowpack is generally well bonded but may still be reactive in areas with shallow snowpack.

Regions covered