The Sea to Sky corridor might be seeing its last real dose of winter weather this season.
After last weekend's spring snow storm closed out Whistler Mountain's winter season with a bang—and contributed to some operational challenges for Blackcomb on the first day of its spring ski season Monday—Environment Canada forecasters are calling for temperatures to spike far into the double-digits next week.
Temperatures in Whistler on Monday, April 24 are expected to reach a high 12 degrees C, before rising further to 17 C on Tuesday, then all the way up to 19 C on Wednesday, April 26, with a mix of sun and cloud anticipated on all three days. Forecasters predict both Pemberton and Squamish will see the same daily highs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
If you're planning to head up the mountain for some mid-week spring laps, keep in mind temperatures will be significantly chillier in the alpine. Whistler Blackcomb's snow and weather report currently calls for a high of 3 C and a low of -6 C at the Rendezvous Lodge's 1850-metre elevation on Wednesday, though the freezing level is expected to sit at about 2200 metres.
Those conditions might sound like straight-up summer weather after Whistler's recent string of wet, overcast days, but it's really just a few degrees higher than seasonal norms. The average high in Whistler on April 24 is 12.9 C, according to Canada's federal weather agency, with an average low of 1 C. The record for the hottest April 24 was set in 1977, when temperatures maxed out at 27.8 C. The coldest April 24, meanwhile, occurred in 1984, when temperatures fell to -5.2 C.
Don't pack away your waterproof ski gear just yet: Environment Canada is calling for a 40-per-cent chance of flurries or showers Friday, followed by a 60-per-cent chance of showers on both Saturday and Sunday, with highs of 6 C before temperatures rise slightly to 9 C on Sunday.
This weekend's precipitation will most likely look like snow at higher elevations, prompting Avalanche Canada to set the Sea to Sky's danger rating as "moderate" for terrain at or above the treeline, and "low" below treeline for both Friday and Saturday. Avalanche danger was rated as "considerable" for alpine terrain on Thursday. Anyone heading out into the backcountry this weekend should "Carefully monitor the bond between the new snow and old surface," forecasters advise.
This should go without saying, but weather predictions are anything but certain, so don't be surprised if next week's forecast shifts slightly—or significantly—in the coming days. Plus, my not-so-trusty iPhone weather app is currently predicting rain and a high of just 11 C in Whistler next Wednesday, so take all of these claims with a grain of salt.
