Officials are warning anyone heading to Metro Vancouver mountains this weekend to exercise extreme caution.
Steady rain is in the forecast Friday, and combined with rising freezing levels, "this is a great recipe for avalanche activity," Avalanche Canada said.
The agency raised the risk to "high" in higher elevations Friday, while it's considered "considerable" at the treeline level.
As of Friday morning, Avalanche Canada expected the risk in higher elevations to decrease to "considerable" for both Saturday and Sunday.
When the risk is high, conditions are considered very dangerous, with natural avalanches considered likely and human-triggered slides very likely.
If the risk is considerable, conditions are considered dangers and human-triggered avalanches are likely.
Those heading uphill are advised to avoid avalanche terrain and check conditions before heading into backcountry.
In addition to hills located on B.C.'s South Coast, the risk was also high for mountains in the Northwest Coastal, Cariboo, North and South Columbia and Purcells regions of the province.
Other high-risk areas include Glacier, Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks and the Lizard Range and Flathead area of Alberta.
