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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2023–Apr 5th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.

Heightened avalanche conditions exist on specific terrain features.

Carefully assess your local conditions and consider how the weather affects the snowpack.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Monday and Tuesday, solar-triggered loose wet avalanches were observed out of steep south aspects. Over the weekend, loose dry avalanches were numerous, naturally and skier-triggered, size 1-2. Small wind slabs to size 1 were reported, triggered by sun, skiers and loose dry avalanches from above.

Snowpack Summary

A moist or crusty surface exists on solar aspects and low elevations. 15 to 20 cm of recent snow sits over a variety of surfaces including crust. Shady, wind sheltered areas at upper elevations hold dry, soft snow. Low elevations are melting out rapidly.

A weak layer of sugary facets is still prominent at the base of the snowpack. Although we haven't seen avalanche activity on it for some time, it could reactivate with sudden changes like prolonged or intense warming shocking the snowpack. Large loads like cornice falls are the most likely things to trigger this layer but human triggering may be possible in rocky, shallow, or thin-to-thick snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Fair weather continues until a warm system crashes into the south coastal ranges Friday. Warm & windy conditions are expected to impact the region over the weekend.

Tuesday night

Mostly cloudy with clear periods. Light northeast win. Alpine low -2 °C. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Light southwest wind increasing to moderate. Alpine high of -1 °C. Freezing level rises to 1500 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. Isolated flurries. Moderate southwest wind gusting 40 km/h. Alpine high 0 °C. Freezing level rises to 1700 m.

Friday

Cloudy. Isolated flurries up to 5 cm. Moderate southwest wind gusting 40 km/h Alpine high 0 °C. Freezing level rises to 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remember that in the spring strong solar radiation and warm temperatures can weaken the snow in a matter of minutes.
  • Avoid slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if they have large cornices overhead.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

Problems

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.

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.