Sea To Sky

Danger will increase Thursday afternoon with the arrival of new snow and strong wind.

Natural storm slab avalanches up to size 2.5 were reported across the region on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the largest occurring on wind-loaded alpine slopes. A few size 1 human-triggered slabs were also observed. Cornice falls continue to be triggered with explosives.

Alpine snowfall over the past week ranged from 50 cm near the coast (e.g., Squamish) to 10 cm inland (e.g., Chilcotin). This snow is heavily wind-affected and rests on wet snow and crusts. Another 15 to 25 cm of snow is expected Thursday afternoon.

Recent snowfall amounts taper off below 1800 m, and the snowpack is melting quickly in the valleys.

In shallower inland areas like the Duffey and Chilcotin, dormant weak layers from Feb and Mar are buried 50 to 150 cm deep, but they are not a concern at this time.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 15 to 25 cm of snow above 1500 m. 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avalanche danger is expected to increase throughout the day.
• Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 20 cm of new snow.
• Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.