Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 12th, 2024–Jan 13th, 2024

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Windslabs can be found on all aspects from variable winds, be cautious when you transition into wind affected snow.

Cold exposure remains a major concern. (Read more in this blog).

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

The arrival of the arctic front on Wednesday resulted in a cycle of natural wind slab avalanches. The freshly formed wind slabs were also reactive to skiers, with whumpfs and shooting cracks reported by the Yukon Field Team.

Snowpack Summary

Most surfaces are likely wind-affected after the passage of the arctic front, but you may still find pockets of soft snow in sheltered areas.

A layer of surface hoar that formed on Christmas Eve may be found 50 cm deep, but recent observations suggest it has bonded. Snowpack depths range from 80 to 200 cm, with local variations due to wind redistribution.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Increasing cloud with no precipitation, alpine wind northwest 40-60 km/h, treeline temperature -20 ºC.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 3 cm of snow, alpine wind southwest 30-50 km/h, treeline temperature -18 ºC.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with flurries with trace accumulation, alpine wind southwest 60 km/h, treeline temperature -13 ºC.

Monday

Cloudy with up to 3 cm of snow, alpine wind southwest up to 70 km/h, treeline temperature -10 ºC.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Avoid slopes that sound hollow or drum-like.

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.