Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Coastal
Strong to extreme winds are transporting recent storm snow, building stiff wind slabs in leeward areas. Avoid wind affected terrain and freshly wind-loaded features.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be careful with wind loaded and cross-loaded slopes, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Use caution in lee areas. Recent wind loading has created wind slabs.
- If triggered the wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Avalanche Summary
Wednesday a natural avalanche cycle up to size 1.5 was reported on wind affected features, as well as skier triggered storm snow releases up to size 1. A natural cornice failure that released a size 1.5 slab was also reported from an east aspect in the Shames area. Read MIN report here.
On Tuesday, there was a size 2 natural wind slab avalanche reported from a north aspect alpine slope. There were also several small (size 1), thin soft slab avalanches on recently wind-loaded features. A large (size 3) glide avalanche was reported from a N-NW slope below treeline. Additionally, steep south aspect slopes released loose wet avalanches in the afternoon.
Last week, large persistent slab avalanches were reported on east to northeast aspects at all elevations, failing on the early-March and mid-March layers. There have been no reports of avalanches on these layers so far this week.
Snowpack Summary
10-30 cm of new snow sits above a variety of crusts on all but high north aspects.
In the south of the region, 70 to 90 cm of snow overlies two layers of surface hoar. The layers are most prominent on north to east aspects and were buried early-March and mid-March. In the north of the region, these layers are around 40 cm deep.
Shallower parts of the region, such as the far north, have weak sugary facets near the bottom of the snowpack.
Weather Forecast
TONIGHT: Flurries. Accumulation 2-8 cm. Ridge wind strong to extreme, southeast. Alpine temperature near -10. Freezing level valley bottom.
FRIDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 2-8 cm. Ridge wind strong to extreme, south. Alpine temperature near -10. Freezing level 500 m.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind moderate to strong, east. Temperature near -5. Freezing level 1000 m.
SUNDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 2-8 cm. Ridge wind moderate to strong, southwest. Temperature near -5. Freezing level 1300 m.
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Strong to extreme winds and new snow will form wind slabs in leeward areas at treeline and in the alpine.