Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Coastal
Stormy weather will elevate the danger this weekend. Minimize your exposure to avalanche terrain when there's rapid loading from new snow and wind.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
- Minimize exposure during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
- Use conservative route selection, choose moderate angled and supported terrain with low consequence.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
A weak layer buried 60-100 cm below the surface has potential for human triggering. Storm slab avalanches may also step down to this layer.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid areas with overhead hazard.
- Caution around convexities or areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
Natural avalanche activity was observed on Friday morning, producing several 30 cm thick slabs in the latest snow.
A few persistent slab avalanches released on Wednesday, most likely failing on the mid-January crust. This includes a natural size 3 avalanche on a southwest slope at 1150 m near Exstew, a few skier triggered slabs (size 1-2) in thinner snowpack areas (east of Terrace and the northern part of the region). The mid-January layer was also active in the Shames area last Saturday, where a skier triggered a size 2 avalanche on a northeast alpine slope. In this case, the weak layer was composed of surface hoar. Overall, activity on persistent weak layers has been limited recently, but enough to suggest these layers may remain reactive through this current storm.
Snowpack Summary
Fresh snow will continue to accumulate the next few days. In some areas up to a metre of storm snow has already accumulated over the past week. Warm temperatures are promoting the settlement of new snow, while westerly winds are blowing snow around in exposed areas.
A weak layer buried in mid-January remains a concern and is now 60-100 cm deep. In most areas this layer is a crust, but it may also be surface hoar in sheltered areas at treeline and below. This layer produced a few human triggered avalanches throughout the region over the past week, and may remain reactive as it adjusts to the weight of the new snow.
In thinner snowpack areas (north and inland), deeper crust / surface hoar layers that were buried in December and early January may still be a concern. They are buried over 100 cm below the surface, but may be triggerable from thin spots.
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY: 10-20 cm Friday night then clearing and cooling throughout the day, strong northwest wind, freezing level dropping back to valley bottom.
SUNDAY: The next system arrives Sunday morning delivering 10 cm snow throughout the day and continuing into the evening with another 15-30 cm Sunday night, moderate west wind, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.
MONDAY: Clearing throughout the day with isolated flurries, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.
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.
Fresh storm slabs are building and will be very touchy at higher elevations and in wind-affected terrain.