South Coast

Happy New Year! A soggy moisture laden snowpack may continue to produce wet loose avalanches in steep terrain. Have a safe start to the new year by avoiding steep slopes and terrain traps where even a small avalanche could have large consequences.

Numerous loose wet avalanches have been reported over the past few days. Loose wet activity is expected to continue as the snowpack remains rain-saturated and weak.

Please continue to post your observations and photos to the Mountain Information Network.

15-30 cm of moist new snow overlies an unsupportive crust. The remainder of the snowpack is moisture-saturated and isothermal to the ground. If temperatures cool, a crust may be found on the snow surface.

Treeline snow depths are roughly 150 to 200 cm.

Saturday night

Cloudy with clear periods. Alpine temperatures drop to a low of -2 °C. Mostly light westerly ridge wind occasionally gusting to 30 km/h. Freezing level drops to 800 metres.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 0 °C. Ridge wind southeast 10-20 km/h. Freezing level rises to 1100 metres.

Cloudy with sunny periods. Alpine temperatures reach a high of 3 °C. Ridge wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 45 km/h. Freezing level rises to 1400 metres.

Cloudy with snowfall, 10-15 cm of accumulation. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -1 °C. Ridge wind southeast 25-35 km/h. Freezing level rises to 1000 metres.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
• Loose avalanches may start small but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
• Keep in mind that wet avalanches can be destructive due to their high density.