Vancouver Island

Recent and incoming snow will improve coverage. For now, avalanches are limited to a few wind-loaded slopes.

Moderate

• Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanches may be possible in steep alpine features where there’s enough snow to cover rocks and ground roughness.

There have been very few backcountry reports. If you head out, please share observations and photos on the MIN.

We suspect 10 to 30 cm of new snow fell at upper elevations on Tuesday, with strong southwest wind forming some deeper deposits in the alpine. This snow fell on a very thin base: just 20 to 50 cm of rain-soaked snow above 1000 m and bare ground at lower elevations. The shallow snowpack continues to make travel and access challenging across most riding areas.

Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 15 to 25 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level drops from 1800 to 800 m as storm passes.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 15 to 30 cm of snow overnight then another 5 to 10 cm of mixed precipitation during the day. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level increases from 1000 to 1500 m.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Pay attention to isolated wind affected features in the alpine, as well as cross-loaded features at treeline.