Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 5th, 2021 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
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Avalanche Canada
Human triggered avalanches are possible on steep slopes at higher elevations. Be extra cautious in wind-affected terrain.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
Weather Forecast
A weak front crosses the region on Friday night.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with some scattered flurries and 5-10 cm of new snow, strong south wind, freezing level drops to valley bottom with treeline temperatures dropping to -8 C.
SATURDAY: Cloudy with some isolated flurries, light southwest wind with some moderate gusts, freezing level around 1400 m with treeline temperatures around -5 C.
SUNDAY: Cloudy with some isolated flurries, light south wind, freezing level around 1200 m with treeline temperatures near -5 C.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny, light wind, treeline temperatures around -7 C.
Avalanche Summary
Warm sunny weather between Wednesday and Friday resulted in a widespread cycle of wet loose avalanches on sun-exposed slopes. These were mostly small (size 1-1.5), but a few large (size 2.5) wet avalanches were also reported. Heating also caused some cornice and ice falls. Clouds and cooling temperatures will heal these problems.Â
The primary concern this weekend will be wind slabs, both old ones lingering on all aspects and new ones forming on north and east facing slopes. A notable human triggered avalanche from Wednesday provides a good example of the old wind slab problem, as a skier triggered a size 3 avalanche in a steep south-facing couloir in Glacier National Park (MIN report).
Snowpack Summary
A dusting of new snow will accumulate above moist and crusty interfaces that formed during the recent warm up. Some deeper accumulations can be expected in lee terrain features. High shaded terrain will have a mix of soft snow and some old buried wind slabs. The lower snowpack has strengthened over the past week as previous persistent weak layers have become unreactive. The main layers that we had been tracking were a layer of facets that was buried in mid-February (60-100 cm deep) and a layer of surface hoar and/or crusts that was buried in late January (80-120 cm deep).
Terrain and Travel
- Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
- Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
- If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.
Problems
Wind Slabs
A weak frontal system will form new wind slabs on north and east aspects, while old stubborn buried slabs may exist on all aspects in steep higher elevation terrain.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 6th, 2021 4:00PM
