Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 8th, 2020 4:00PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Storm Slabs.

Avalanche Canada ldreier, Avalanche Canada

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Most of the precipitation on Tuesday fell as rain below 1500 m. If venturing in high elevations, assess the bond of the new snow with the old surface and be observant for storm slabs.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations. Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear periods, light northwest wind, treeline temperature -6 C, freezing level at 400 m.

THURSDAY: Clear skies, moderate northwest wind, treeline temperature -6 C, freezing level at 500 m.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 20 to 30 cm, strong southwest wind, treeline temperature -2 C, freezing level rising to 800 m.

SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, moderate westerly wind, treeline temperature -9 C, freezing level dropping to valley bottom. 

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Tuesday. Storm slabs were reactive to human traffic on Monday. It is likely that a natural avalanche cycle occurred Monday night as the snow switched to rain.

Snowpack Summary

Most precipitation on Tuesday fell as rain below about 1500 m. There is uncertainty how well the new snow above about 1500 m bonds with the old snow surface. Assess the bond of the recent snow before committing to avalanche terrain and travel conservatively.

Terrain and Travel

  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
  • Avoid lee and cross loaded slopes in the alpine.

Problems

Storm Slabs

An icon showing Storm Slabs

Most precipitation on Tuesday fell as rain below about 1500 m. There is uncertainty how well the new snow above about 1500 m bonds with the old snow surface. As you travel, assess the height of new snow and use particular caution if you find more than 20 cm of accumulated dry snow. Assess the bond of the new snow before committing to avalanche terrain.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Jan 9th, 2020 5:00PM