Avalanche forecast

Northwest Inland

Mar 14 – 15, 2016Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Old wind slabs may still be reactive to human triggering.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–4
    New snow will hide lingering wind slabs that may still be reactive to human triggering.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    3–6
    Isolated large avalanches failing on weak layers buried deeply in the snowpack remain a possibility especially given a heavy trigger like a falling cornice.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number and quality of field observations

Weather Forecast

Spring like daily fluctuation in temperature. TUESDAY: isolated flurries, light southwest winds, 1200m freezing level. WEDNESDAY: partly cloudy with flurries, light west winds, 1000m freezing level. THURSDAY: mainly sunny, light southeasterly winds, 1000m freezing level.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity has slowed since the weekend however cornices continue to collapse naturally.  Occasionally these collapsing cornices have triggered slabs on the slopes below.

Snowpack Summary

New snow is falling on widely wind effected surfaces in the alpine and at treeline. Moist snow can be found at lower elevations and on slopes that see direct sunlight.  In the north of the region a crust and/or surface hoar from early in March or late February can be found in the upper meter of the snowpack.  A deeper layer of surface hoar from early January can be found in isolated locations across the region between 60 and 140 cm down. There hasn't been any avalanche activity reported on this layer for a couple of weeks now and it is becoming less of a concern. In shallower areas the snowpack sits on a weak base layer of facetted snow. This layer has been sporadically active in the north of the region, responsible for several large avalanches in unsupported alpine terrain. Cornices are large and fragile.

Regions covered