Northwest Coastal

Assess for wind slabs prior to committing to terrain with high consequence.

• Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
• Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
• When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

MONDAY NIGHT: Clear skies with no precipitation, 20 km/h north wind, alpine temperature -6 C.

TUESDAY: Partly cloudy with no precipitation, 10 km/h north wind, alpine temperature -7 C.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 10 cm, 60 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -5 C.

THURSDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 20 to 40 cm, 60 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 800 m.

Many large avalanches were triggered naturally and by explosives on Sunday and Monday, with substantial entrainment of wet snow at lower elevations. Storm slabs were most prominent above around 1200 m and wet avalanches below. 

Avalanche activity is anticipated to decrease on Tuesday with cooler weather.

Around 30 cm of recent snow fell above 1200 m with associated strong wind from the southwest to northwest, which formed wind slabs in lee terrain features in wind-exposed terrain. Below around 1200 m, the precipitation mostly fell as rain, which will freeze into a hard melt-freeze crust.

A weak layer of faceted grains and/or surface hoar may be found about 50 to 100 cm deep, formed late December to early January. This layer was the culprit of avalanche activity last week in the north of the region.

The remainder of the snowpack is mostly strong in the south of the region. In the north, the base of the snowpack consists of faceted grains around a melt-freeze crust, which is currently dormant.