Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 27th, 2021–Feb 28th, 2021

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

Regions

South Coast.

Light snowfall continues to accumulate snow over a hard crust. Slab avalanches in the new snow are most likely to be triggered in wind loaded terrain features.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

Saturday night: Light snow, around 5 cm. Freezing level 500 m. Light southwest wind below 1500m, moderate to strong west-northwest wind around 2000 m.

Sunday: Light snow, around 5 cm. Freezing level 1100 m. Light southwest wind increasing to moderate.

Monday: Light snow, around 10 cm. Freezing level 1000 m. Strong southwest winds affecting all elevations.

Tuesday: Flurries. Freezing level 500 m. Light southwest wind.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, skier triggered storm slab avalanches size 1-2 were reported on all aspects. The new snow is sitting on a hard rain crust and may remain reactive to human triggers; especially in wind loaded features.

Snowpack Summary

5-10 cm of new snow brings recent snow totals to 20-30 cm on top of a hard rain crust that exists all the way to the tops of the North Shore mountains. These storm slabs are most likely to be reactive where they are wind affected.

The snowpack below the rain crust is well settled and strong in most areas.

Watch North Shore Rescue's latest snowpack update here.

Terrain and Travel

  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
  • Keep in mind the crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.

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.