Less snow than expected has fallen in the mountains, conditions are still far from ideal.
If you are going to the alpine, beware of small isolated wind slabs. At the beginning of the season, even a small avalanche can have serious consequences.
Getting out on the mountain? We need your observations! https://www.avalanche.ca/mountain-information-network
Isolated wind slabs may be found beneath terrain breaks, convexities, and on laterally loaded alpine slopes. These new wind slabs could be resting on wind-affected snow or directly on crust or rocks. At the beginning of the season, with all the obstacles on the ground, being caught in an avalanche, even a small one, can have dramatic consequences.
No new avalanche activity has been observed or reported. Please share your observations at [email protected], or with the Mountain Information Network.
The passage of the low-pressure system that affected the Chic-Chocs from Sunday to Tuesday finally left a meagre 5 to 10 cm in the mountains. The sectors further east of our forecast area will have been slightly favoured. On the leeward aspects, this new snow covered 10 to 30 cm of wind-affected snow accumulated on the December 8 crust. A thin layer of freezing drizzle crust is buried within a few centimetres of this layer. The average snowpack height is about 45 to 65 cm at mid-mountain. The spatial variability at the beginning of the season is impressive. Despite the fresh snow, snow conditions remain hazardous. Crust and obstacles such as rocks, stumps, trees and trunks can still be found barely buried under this white carpet.
Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.
Short passage of a weak ridge of high pressure Wednesday morning, arrival of a new low late Wednesday. Tuesday evening and night: Cloudy with light snow. Wind southwest 10 to 20 km/h. Low -7. Wednesday: Light snow late in the day, 2 to 4 cm. Wind southwest 20 to 40 km/h. Freezing level 100m. Thursday: Sunny. Wind 20 to 40 km/h from the northwest. High -7. Friday: Snow at the end of the day. Wind increasing from 30 km/h to 100 km/h from the southeast at the end of the day. High -4. For more details, check out the Chic-Chocs alpine weather forecast.
