Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Little information is available to forecasters at this time. Early season is a time to be very cautious with a young snow pack. If you travel in the back country, help all back country users and submit your observations to the MIN
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
Today/Tonight: Pacific frontal system will move onto the North Coast tonight bringing rain below 1000m and snow at higher elevations, with the possibility of snow to valley bottom overnight nearer the coast. Winds from the west, freezing level rising to 1000m this evening.Sat: Rain and possibly snow at lower elevations early in the day, but the freezing level is forecast to spike to over 1500m in the early afternoon. Wind from the westSun: Flurries tapering off early Sunday morning as the system moves into the interior.Mon: No precipitation in the forecast. Temperatures drop as an arctic air mass moves into the region. Freezing level at valley bottom
Avalanche Summary
To date, few reports of avalanche activity have been received ,although commercial operators have produced results with explosives
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack depth ranges dramatically across the Northwest Coastal Region. Shames Mtn reports 90 cm@ 750m and a recent MIN reported 165cm at 1200m. Farther north reports indicate 185cm at 1500m in the alpine to the west of Bell 2. Recent south-west winds have transported storm snow onto lee slopes in select alpine locations. Facetting and surface hoar has been reported on polar slopes. Warm temperatures and rain have produced a temperature/rain crust in many areas below 1000m, with the settled snow diminishing rapidly at lower elevations
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.