Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Feb 8 – 9, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 8 months ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate

Highlights

New snow will be falling on a crust that extends to the mountain top in many places.

Check the bond between new snow and the crust before committing yourself to avalanche terrain.


Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    2–3

    A hard crust with surface hoar or facets overtop is buried 40 to 100 cm deep. Storm slabs could step down to this layer, creating larger than expected avalanches.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    10-20 cm of new snow will accumulate by Sunday morning. Storm slabs will be most reactive in wind-loaded areas.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to variable freezing levels.
  • We are uncertain about forecast precipitation amounts.

Avalanche Summary

It's been a stormy week with a significant natural avalanche cycle occurring, numerous wet loose avalanches up to size 3 have occurred throughout the region on all aspects and elevations in the previous 24-72 hours.

Snowpack Summary

Moderate southwesterly winds and 10-20 cm of precipitation or more will have accumulated by Sunday morning, with freezing levels dropping to 800 m.

A hard crust with surface hoar or facets that formed on January 26th is buried 40 to 100 cm deep. Storm slabs could step down to this layer, creating large avalanches.

Treeline snow depths throughout the region range from 250 to 450 cm.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Sunday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.

Regions covered