Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West, Yukon.
Wind slabs in the alpine will be the main concern.
A thick surface crust will present very challenging travel conditions.
Confidence
Low
Avalanche Summary
A natural avalanche cycle occurred last week as rain and warm temperatures infiltrated the region. See this MIN for more details.
Looking forward, the main concern will be the potential for deep deposits of wind slab on lee features in the alpine.
Please consider sharing your observations through the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
Above 1500 m, new snow has been redistributed by strong southwest winds. Deposits of wind slab as well as heavily wind-affected surfaces exist. At lower elevations, a thick crust exists on the surface with moist snow below.
The remainder of the snowpack is dry, with small faceted crystals to ground.Â
Snow depths vary significantly, averaging around 70 to 130 cm at White Pass.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Mainly cloudy. 5 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Monday
Cloudy with up to 2 cm of new snow. 50 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 50 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
- A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent snowfall and wind have formed deep deposits of wind slab in lee areas in alpine.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5