Avalanche Forecast
South Coast
Tuesday's storm snow was quite touchy and a significant shot of snow and wind Wednesday will likely initiate natural avalanche activity. The storm is expected to unleash on the South Coast Wednesday night, so it's time to rein the terrain choices in.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
- Stick to simple terrain and be aware of what is above you at all times.
- Space out and travel quickly through runout zones of avalanche paths.
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday storm slab avalanches up to 15 cm in depth were very touchy and sensitive to ski cutting, check out these two MIN reports here and here.
Snowpack Summary
The region picked up 10 to 15 cm of new snow as of Tuesday afternoon which has been quite touchy. 40 to 55 cm of storm snow fell over the weekend accompanied by strong southerly winds. All of this snow rests on previously wind-affected surfaces and a sun crust on southerly aspects.
A hard rain crust that extends into alpine terrain is buried about 60 to 120 cm deep. There are no substantial weak layers below the crust.
Cornices have formed on many alpine ridgelines. They will become touchier as they grow in size, as temperatures rise, and as the sun packs a strong punch on clear days. Stand well back of them!
Weather Forecast
We are entering what looks to be a very snowy period. The Wednesday night storm has potential to be quite vigorous, and then the gift should keep on giving as the associated upper low drops south over the next few days. Weather models are converging on a solution but this is an incredibly dynamic period and the following should be taken as loose suggestions. If you are craving detail, now is a great time to click on the ACMWF link below.
WEDNESDAY: Overcast, freezing level around 600 m, strong southwest wind, 10 to 20 cm of snow.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Freezing level around 700 m, 40 to 60 cm of snow, strong to extreme southwest wind.
THURSDAY: A few clouds, freezing level rising to around 1100 m, light southeast wind, trace of snow possible.
FRIDAY: Scattered cloud cover, freezing level rising to around 1200 m, light variable wind, no precipitation expected.
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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.
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Set up an RSS feed for your email:
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- South Coast URL:
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10 to 20 cm of snow and strong southwest wind is expected to initiate a natural storm slab avalanche cycle Wednesday. Take a very cautious approach and be aware that the hazard is expected to rise throughout the day .