Heavy snow, rain and wind in British Columbia’s southern coastal region have increased the avalanche risk to extreme, high or considerable levels in many areas, Avalanche Canada warned in a message released Thursday on X (formerly Twitter).
“A stormy Christmas Day means dangerous avalanche conditions will persist,” the organization said. “Boxing Day will be an opportunity to take advantage of avalanche-free terrain in these regions. »
The new snow on the North Shore has pushed the avalanche rate to an extreme alpine level. This includes the popular ski slopes of Seymour, Grouse and Cypress Mountains.
The danger also remains high at the tree line, according to the Avalanche Canada website.
“The size of storm slabs and their sensitivity to triggering will likely increase throughout the day,” the website warns. “We expect widespread, large, human-triggered and naturally occurring avalanches to be very likely throughout the storm. »
Avalanche Canada also said new snow and extreme winds on Vancouver Island are expected to form reactive storm slabs.
Get the latest national news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts sent directly to you as they happen.
Emily Jones, avalanche forecaster for Avalanche Canada, said in an interview Thursday that the current extreme rating is due to “rapid loading” with lots of snow and wind occurring over the past 24 hours.
She said avalanche conditions would be “resolved and stabilized” on Friday, with the danger level dropping to a level of three out of five due to “a small break between storms.”
But Jones said people considering heading into the backcountry still need to be more aware of the risks and use cautious routes as they go.
The good news is that avalanche danger will not persist and be extreme for an extended period of time heading into January, Jones said.
Wind and stormy weather prompted BC Ferries to cancel several sailings Thursday morning on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point and Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay routes. The afternoon crossings were proceeding as planned as the wind died down.
The bad weather also left thousands of people without electricity. As of Thursday morning, just under 1,700 customers in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast were still without power. Another 300 customers on Vancouver Island were also without power.
Further inland, a snowfall warning was issued for the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt. A winter storm warning is also in effect for Highway 3 from Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass.
A Pacific frontal system impacting the interior could bring about 6 inches of snow to Coquihalla on Thursday.
Highway 3 could see 20 to 30 cm of snow before the evening. Wind gusts up to 50 km/h could produce blowing snow and reduce visibility on roads.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.