Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Coastal
Watch for areas where wind and storm snow have formed cohesive slabs above the recently buried crust/ surface hoar layer. These slabs have been reactive to both human and natural triggers.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Caution on steep slopes and convex rolls where a recent crust/surface hoar has been buried.
- Watch for wind loaded areas, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Buried weak layers in the snowpack have produced recent large avalanches in steep, unsupported terrain below treeline.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, or cracking.
- Avoid shallow, or thick to thin snowpack areas where triggering a deeper layer is more likely.
Avalanche Summary
Explosive control work on easterly aspects between 1100-1330 m, near Terrace on Thursday produced several storm slab avalanches up to Size 1.5 which failed on the most recently buried, mid-January crust layer.
Wednesday, a naturally triggered cornice fall released a Size 2 storm slab avalanche on a steep, north aspect, and skier traffic in steep terrain produced only small, loose sloughs in the recent storm snow.
On Tuesday there were reports of natural storm slab avalanches up to Size 2 failing on the mid-January interface and ski cut results produced storm slab avalanches to size 1.5 near ridge crest. In the Bear Pass area numerous natural wind slab failures from Size 1-2.5 were observed on wind-loaded northerly features as well as Size 1.5-2.5 naturals between 600-1200 m that ran on the mid-December crust layer.
Monday, areas north of Stewart reported numerous natural loose storm snow avalanches on most aspects, and one skier remote Size 1.5 storm slab avalanche on a southerly aspect at 1400 m and is suspected to have failed on the mid-December interface following a large whumpf.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 50-80 cm of recent storm snow covers a widespread crust as well as surface hoar in isolated areas at mid elevations that were buried mid-January. This surface hoar is more likely to exist in sheltered areas at treeline and below and has produced easy, sudden results in recent snowpack tests on northerly aspects between 1300-1450 m in areas north of Terrace.
Professionals have also been monitoring a few mid-pack layers within the snowpack including a crust/ surface hoar layer that was buried early-January and now lies 60-100 cm below the surface, and a similar layer buried mid-December that now lies 80-120 cm below the surface. Both of these layers have been reactive in recent snowpack tests producing moderate to hard, sudden results and have produced recent large, natural avalanches particularly in northern areas of the region.
The lower snowpack is generally strong, with the exception of areas around Stewart and further north where a basal crust and facets exist.
Weather Forecast
TONIGHT: Light flurries. Accumulation 1-5 cm. Ridge wind moderate, southeast. Temperature -7. Freezing level 200 m.
FRIDAY: Cloudy, light flurries. Accumulation 2-7 cm. Ridge wind moderate, south. Temperature -7. Freezing level 200 m.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind moderate, east. Temperature -11. Freezing level valley bottom.
SUNDAY: Snow. Accumulation 15-25cm. Ridge wind strong, southeast. Temperature -10. Freezing level 200 m. Alpine Inversion.
Avalanche Forecasts in your Inbox
Avalanche Canada has switched to an RSS feed for its daily forecasts. This is a much more flexible method that allows automatic delivery to your email inbox, or to an RSS reader of your choice.
What are RSS feeds?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a popular standardized file format allowing up-to-date delivery of web-based content. RSS feeds enable you to receive content updates from websites, delivered to your email through an RSS aggregator (such as blogtrottr.com) or viewed through applications called RSS readers (such as feedly.com).
Set up an RSS feed for your email:
Select a RSS aggregator
- Northwest Coastal URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/northwest-coastal.rss - Copy the url and paste it into the appropriate field of your RSS aggregator.
- Fill in your email address.
- Voila! Watch the Avalanche Canada forecast roll into your inbox.
Forecast Disclaimer
Avalanche Canada's Public Avalanche Bulletin, and other information and services provided by Avalanche Canada, are intended for personal and recreational purposes only.
**THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND IN NO EVENT SHALL THE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES RESULTING FROM DISCOMFORT, INJURY, OR DEATH, CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES OR FOR OTHER SIMILAR COSTS, OR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.**
The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict natural events such as avalanches in every instance, and uses the data in this bulletin with this always foremost in mind. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and the Providers disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use the data.
Winds have redistributed the recent storm snow forming areas of wind slab at higher elevations near ridge crests and exposed treeline areas. In non-wind affected terrain, storm slabs overly a widespread crust and surface hoar in isolated areas.