Avalanche Forecast
South Coast Inland
Don't let your guard down with the sunny weather and fresh snow. Take a cautious approach towards more aggressive terrain - especially steep, wind-affected terrain.
Avalanche Problem 1: Loose Wet
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use extra caution on sunny slopes or if the snow is moist or wet.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where small avalanches may have severe consequences.
Avalanche Problem 2: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Small wind slabs are possible in steep terrain behind ridge lines, especially in the south of the region (Coquihalla area). On steep slopes, the new snow may not bond well to the underlying crust.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be alert to changing snow conditions, especially where the snow firms up or sounds hollow.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.
- Use increased caution in downwind areas. Recent snowfall and wind loading have created wind slabs.
Avalanche Summary
Little activity has been reported lately, although there are not many observers out there right now.
In southern sections (Coquihalla), lingering small wind slabs are the primary concern. In the north of the region (Duffey Lake zone), small (Size 1), dry loose avalanches have been reported in steep terrain at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 30-50 cm of snow from last week sits on top of a rain crust that formed during the wet weather in late November. The crust is reported to be thick (15 cm) below treeline and thin (2 cm) in the alpine.
Southerly winds have blown snow around in exposed areas creating drifts and scoured areas. Stubborn wind slabs have formed near ridge crests and lee features, primarily in the south of the region (Coquihalla area).
Tree line snow depths are approximately 110 cm throughout the region.
Weather Forecast
We'll have fine weather for the foreseeable future. Significant warming begins Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday: Sunny and warm. Light northerly winds. Freezing levels 3000m. Alpine high temperatures to +2 Celsius.
Thursday: Sunny and warm. Freezing levels around 3100 m. Light northwesterly winds. Alpine high temperatures to +3 Celsius.
Friday: Sunny and warm. Freezing levels around 3200 m. Light northerly winds.
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
- South Coast Inland URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/south-coast-inland.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.
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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.
Conditions will be more like spring than winter later this week. Surface snow layers can become weak when hit by the sun. Minimize your exposure to terrain traps - even small sluffs can push you into dangerous terrain.