Typical operating window
December–AprilPacific storms normally build deep mountain coverage from late autumn into early winter.Verified planning context
Snow, weather and avalanche context
Historical patterns help you compare trips. They do not predict your week or replace the operator's daily decisions.
Strongest comparable snow evidence
820 mm SWE median · 659–1,034 mm interquartile rangeBurnt Bridge Creek PillowTier B · observed reference · low confidenceSnow character
maritimeMaritime storms provide frequent refreshes; elevation and cooling can produce lower-density snow above the coastal valleys.Public avalanche information
Avalanche Canada regional forecast mapCheck whether the selected tenure falls inside a current forecast region. Operator observations remain decisive.Weather and flight context
Moist Pacific flow meets the Coast Mountains, producing heavy precipitation and sharp local gradients.
- Valley cloud and coastal fog
- Heavy snowfall
- Ridge wind and flat light
Meteorological reference area
Bella Coola catalogue subregions
- Includes
- Bella Coola-linked Coast Mountains subregions.
- Excludes
- Northern and interior British Columbia profiles.
- Elevation
- No verified operator-terrain elevation band is public. Each evidence value retains its site elevation.
Evidence pack
Measurements, claims and gaps stay separate.
Tier BPeak seasonal snow-water equivalent reference820 mm SWE median · 659–1,034 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Burnt Bridge Creek Pillow · 52.4833, -126.2500 · 1330 m · 36 km from the catalogue reference
- Period
- 1998/99–2007/08 complete snow seasons within the 1991–2016 archive
- Completeness
- 10 seasons with at least two valid observations; 1,776 observations used.
- Method
- Maximum SWE by October–September snow season; median and quartiles across valid seasons.
- Limitation
- The short single-site series does not represent Bella Coola terrain-wide snowfall.
- Canadian Historical Snow Survey DataEnvironment and Climate Change Canada · accessed 2026-08-25
Tier CModelled snowfall water equivalent — Bella Coola catalogue location1,154 mm SWE median · 1,014–1,472 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Bella Coola catalogue location ERA5-Land grid cell · 52.4000, -126.8000 · 4.4 km from Bella Coola catalogue location reference point
- Period
- Calendar years 1991–2020
- Completeness
- 360 monthly means; all 30 calendar years contain 12 values.
- Method
- ERA5-Land monthly mean daily snowfall accumulation was multiplied by calendar days and 1,000, then summed by calendar year.
- Limitation
- This reference area supports evidence discovery and comparison. It is not an operating-area or tenure boundary. This unadjusted 0.1° reanalysis grid cell is not an observation, snow depth, or terrain-wide total. Grid elevation and wind redistribution can cause substantial local bias.
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
Tier CModelled snowfall water equivalent — Eastern catalogue location1,043 mm SWE median · 939–1,129 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Eastern catalogue location ERA5-Land grid cell · 52.4000, -126.1000 · 4 km from Eastern catalogue location reference point
- Period
- Calendar years 1991–2020
- Completeness
- 360 monthly means; all 30 calendar years contain 12 values.
- Method
- ERA5-Land monthly mean daily snowfall accumulation was multiplied by calendar days and 1,000, then summed by calendar year.
- Limitation
- This reference area supports evidence discovery and comparison. It is not an operating-area or tenure boundary. This unadjusted 0.1° reanalysis grid cell is not an observation, snow depth, or terrain-wide total. Grid elevation and wind redistribution can cause substantial local bias.
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
Monthly evidence
Each cell keeps its measurement type and unit. Reanalysis water equivalent is not snow depth. Text-only cells preserve a representative data gap.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202.8 mm SWE | 167.7 mm SWE | 163.3 mm SWE | 94.6 mm SWE | 13.2 mm SWE | 0.1 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0.1 mm SWE | 60.3 mm SWE | 209 mm SWE | 255.6 mm SWE |
Commercial operator assessment
Operator assessment process not independently verifiedThe operator must assess current snow, avalanche terrain, weather, aircraft limits, and rescue options. No private operational plan is inferred.
Sources and evidence notes
- WMO Climatological NormalsWorld Meteorological Organization · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land hourly data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-25
- Historical Climate DataEnvironment and Climate Change Canada · accessed 2026-08-25
- Published operator and trip inventoryHeliski International editorial team · accessed 2026-08-25
- Canadian Historical Snow Survey DataEnvironment and Climate Change Canada · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
- Avalanche Canada forecast mapAvalanche Canada · accessed 2026-08-25