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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 9th, 2021–Feb 12th, 2021

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Waterton Lakes.

The arctic temperatures continue! Bring extra layers in case of emergency, and plan to end your day well before it gets dark. This is not the kind of weather you want to spend a night out in!

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Low -33 C, High -22 C with an alpine inversion. Light west winds.

Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud. Low -34 C, High -31 C with an alpine inversion. Moderate east winds.

Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. Low -34, High -20 with an alpine inversion. Moderate east to Northeast winds.

Snowpack Summary

30-35cm of fluffy snow sits on the surface at Cameron Lake with limited wind effect at treeline and below. In the alpine, new snow has been distributed by westerly winds. New snow sits over previous wind slab which overlies a crust below 1900m. The midpack is well consolidated at Cameron Lake but quickly becomes faceted in areas east of the divide.

Avalanche Summary

Several small (size 1-1.5) loose dry avalanches were seen in steep terrain on Tuesday. One larger Size 2 slab avalanche triggered by cornice fall was seen in the Cameron Lake area on a northeast aspect at treeline.

Confidence

The weather pattern is stable

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.