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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 1st, 2021–Jan 2nd, 2021

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

Regions

Yukon.

You need to watch for isolated wind slabs like this in complex terrain, but this is a good weekend to take advantage of the low avalanche danger and explore as our field team has been doing.

Confidence

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern; little change is expected for several days. The snowpack structure is mostly striaghtforward and not unusually variable.

Weather Forecast

Pretty benign weather is expected through the weekend. A little pulse may impact the area Sunday.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Freezing level at valley bottom, moderate southeast wind, trace of snow expected.

SATURDAY: Broken cloud cover, freezing level at valley bottom, light southerly wind, no significant snowfall expected.

SUNDAY: Broken cloud cover, freezing level at valley bottom, moderate southerly wind, a few cm of snow possible during the day with up to 5 cm Sunday night.

MONDAY: Broken cloud cover, freezing level at valley bottom, moderate to strong southerly wind, 2 to 10 cm of snow possible.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche activity reported, but this MCR report from the Powder Valley points to an avalanche that likely occurred earlier this week.

Snowpack Summary

Widespread surface hoar has been growing on the surface in the region, it's not a problem right now, but it's something to consider for when it starts snowing again.

As per usual, you can find aging hard wind slabs in the alpine, but they seem to be confined to the bigger more extreme terrain features immediately lee of ridge crest.  

There are not any concerns of note in the upper snowpack aside from wind slabs.

A buried crust formed in early December can be found 60-100 cm below the surface, but most reports suggest the snow is quite well-bonded to this crust. There was one observation this week where facets were found above the crust, but that appears to be an anomaly rather than the norm. The lower snowpack is strong around White Pass, however there is potential for a weaker snowpack structure in inland areas such as the Wheaton Valley. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.

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.