Heavy snow has been falling across BC with colder air and low freezing levels following an early week warm-up. Snow reports are somewhat limited this early in the season, but many areas reported some nice totals on Thursday morning.

24-hour snow reports on Thursday morning:

• Revelstoke – 27 cm / 11"
• Kicking Horse – 25 cm / 10" (61 cm in 48 hours!)
• Whistler – 23 cm / 9"
• Sun Peaks – 22 cm / 9"
• Mt. Seymour – 20 cm / 8"
• Grouse Mtn – 17 cm / 7"

Check out the Gnorm cam at Revelstoke on Thursday morning, which had been completely buried!

The good news is that more snow is on the way late this week and early next week with only a brief break in the action this weekend.

Coastal BC:

The next system will arrive from the west/northwest with another round of snow from Thursday night through Friday. Freezing levels will be low, remaining below 1,000 meters for the most part even as we warm up a bit on Friday. The west/northwest flow will favor the Vancouver area resorts with the heaviest snow. 

Snow Forecast through Friday Night:

• 20-40 cm (8-16") for Cypress, Grouse, Mt. Seymour, Sasquatch, Bella Coola
• 15-30 cm (6-12") for Mt. Cain
• 10-20 cm (4-8") for Whistler, Manning Park
• 5-15 cm (2-6") for Mt. Washington

We'll see a break in the action on Saturday, then a weak storm will arrive on Sunday with most areas picking up an additional 5-15 cm (2-6") of snow. Freezing levels could start out as high as 1,500 meters on Sunday morning but will quickly fall to below 1,000 meters.

A stronger storm will then arrive on Monday and Tuesday with heavy snow possible.

Interior BC:

West/northwest flow aloft will continue with additional snow falling on Thursday and favoring the North/Central Columbias. We'll see some brief lulls on Thursday evening before the next disturbance brings additional snow through Friday. Freezing levels will remain below base area elevations.

Snow Forecast through Friday Night:

• 15-30 cm (6-12") for Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, North/Central Columbias
• 5-15 cm (2-6") for Whitewater, Red Mtn, Panorama, Kimberley, Fernie, Kootenay Boundary Region
• 2-10 cm (1-4") for Sun Peaks, Silver Star, Big White, Apex, Baldy, Okanagan Region

Dry conditions with increasing sunshine can be expected on Saturday as a transitory ridge of high pressure moves across BC. The next system will approach on Sunday and weaken as it moves inland, but we can expect snow showers to develop again from Sunday afternoon through Monday night favoring the North/Central Columbias once again. Additional amounts during this time will range from 5-15 cm (2-6") for most areas, with the higher amounts expected the farther away from the US border you go.

Northern BC:

Snow showers on Thursday will give way to heavier rounds of snow on Thursday night and Friday as the next system approaches. The heaviest totals are likely in the Bella Coola region of the Coast Range.

Snow Forecast through Friday Night:

• 10-30 cm (4-12") for the North Coast Range, Shames Mountain, Cariboo Range, *higher totals likely around Bella Coola
• 2-10 cm (1-4") for Hudson Bay Mountain, Powder King, Skeena Range, Northern Rockies

A stronger storm will then arrive on Saturday with heavy snow expected favoring the Coast Range as usual, but bringing a good round of the snow to the interior ranges as well. The heaviest snow will fall on Saturday with lighter snow showers persisting through Sunday.

Snow Forecast – Saturday through Sunday:

• 25-50 cm (10-20") for the North Coast Range, Shames Mountain, Bella Coola
• 10-25 cm (4-10") for the Skeena Range, Cariboo Range, Northern Rockies, Hudson Bay Mountain, Powder King

A stronger storm will arrive early next with moderate to heavy snow likely for much of BC. Check out the projected sea level pressure map for Tuesday morning, which shows a strong surface low (972 millibars) approaching the BC Coast from the northwest. 

This is likely to be a significant storm with most areas seeing good snow. And the timing is great since Sun Peaks, Whistler, and Revelstoke are scheduled to open next week! 

Freezing levels should behave for the most part – during the warm sector late Monday/early Tuesday, they are projected to rise to 1,200 meters or so across the SW Coast Range and SE Interior before falling again on Tuesday.

Looking farther out, an active pattern will continue from 11/25 and beyond, though freezing levels could start to creep upward as high pressure builds to the south, allowing warmer air to spread into BC.

The relatively warm pattern could persist into early December, so while frequent snow is expected to continue, we'll also be more susceptible to freezing level rises and low/mid mountain rain.

Thanks for reading!  This will be the last post for this week, then Daily Forecasts will begin this Monday, November 23!

ALAN SMITH

NEW: Avalanche Forecasts

Many folks have requested this over the past year and we're excited to now show avalanche forecasts for regions across North America. 

You can use our map view to see a quick overview of the avalanche forecast conditions and you can also go back in time for the last 7 days to see how the avalanche conditions have changed by using the slider at the bottom of the map.

Also, we integrated the avalanche forecast into each mountain location page under a new tab called "Avalanche Forecast". 

The avalanche forecasts are freely available and are the foundation of any backcountry experience. Please check these forecasts each time you head out of controlled terrain! 

You can view the avalanche forecasts right now on our website and they will be live on our iPhone and Android apps very soon.