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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 8th, 2022–Feb 9th, 2022

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon.

Avoid avalanche terrain, and don't expose yourself to the runout of alpine features. New snow and continued strong winds are making natural and rider triggered avalanches more likely.

Confidence

Low - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. 0-10 cm new snow expected. Strong to extreme southwest wind. Freezing level rising to 1000 m.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. 15 to 25 cm of snow expected above 1000 m and rain below. Strong to extreme southwest wind. Freezing level 1000 m.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Up to 5 cm of snow expected overnight, and a possible trace through the day. Strong west wind. Alpine low around -10 C.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. 2-5 cm of snow expected. Strong south wind. Alpine high around -5 C.

Avalanche Summary

A widespread avalanche cycle occurred on the weekend for the closed South Klondike Highway area, with avalanches on north and east aspects (lee slopes) to size 3. This MIN also describes a couple skier-triggered wind slab avalanches in the Wheaton.

Looking forward, similar natural and skier-triggered wind slab avalanches are expected as stormy conditions continue.

Snowpack Summary

Freezing levels are forecasted to rise to around 1000 m as precipitation continues, so low elevation areas may see rain on snow, which is not good for riding conditions or avalanche hazard.

At elevations above the freezing line, strong south to southwest wind has blown any recent snow into touchy wind slabs in lee terrain features. The slabs may be widely variable in thickness, anywhere from 20 to upwards of 100 cm thick. A few reports suggest the slabs may have a poor bond with underlying surfaces, including previous hard wind slabs and potentially surface hoar crystals in sheltered and shaded terrain. It is possible that recent snow has formed storm slabs in the most sheltered of terrain that has avoided these perpetual winds.

In shallow snowpack areas, a layer of loose facets can be found at the bottom of the snowpack.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
  • Stick to simple terrain features and be certain your location isn't threatened by overhead hazard.

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.