Avalanche Forecast
South Coast Inland
Natural avalanche cycle expected on Sunday. Travel in Avalanche terrain is not recommended.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- The new snow may require several days to settle and stabilize.
- Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
Avalanche Problem 2: Deep Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Intense loading of new snow may awaken deeply buried weak layers resulting in large, destructive avalanches.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
- Large triggers such as falling cornice or smaller avalanches may step-down to deeply buried crusts.
Avalanche Problem 3: Cornices
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Large amounts of new snow and high winds will create tinder cornices sensitive to human triggers.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Give cornices a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges
- Falling cornices may trigger large avalanches on slopes below.
Avalanche Summary
On Thursday, two natural storm slab avalanches stepped-down to facets at the bottom of the snowpack and resulted in 3-3.5 avalanches. They occurred on north and south aspects between 2000 and 2250 m. The extended period of continuous loading of the snowpack may begin to reactivate deeply buried weak layers resulting in large and destructive avalanches running full path.
Snowpack Summary
10 cm of new snow on Friday morning brings recent storm totals to 80-110cm. This weekend's storm will likely create dense storm slabs lurking in lee and cross-loaded features at treeline and above.
90-120cm below the surface you'll likely find a few crusts that were buried during the first few weeks of January. Due to limited observations, not much is known about the current reactivity of these layers.
The lower snowpack includes the mid-December crust layer. The load of the new snow may tip the balance and reactivate this layer in isolated terrain - particularly in the north of the region where it's shown prolonged reactivity in snowpack tests.
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY: 20-30 cm of new snow (rain below roughly 1200m) / Strong to extreme southwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level rising to around 1500m.
MONDAY: 10-20 cm of new snow (rain below roughly 1500m) / Strong to extreme southwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level rising to around 1800m.
TUESDAY: Cloudy with flurries; 3-5 cm / Strong southwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level dropping to around 700m.
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New snow and wind will create touchy storm slabs reactive to human triggers.