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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 18th, 2020–Feb 19th, 2020

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

Regions

South Columbia.

Enjoy the sunny weather, but remain cautious around sun-exposed and wind affected slopes.

Confidence

High - The number, quality, or consistency of field observations is good, and supports our confidence.

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear, light northwest wind, alpine temperatures drop to -15 C.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny, light wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.

THURSDAY: Sunny, light to moderate south wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.

FRIDAY: Sunny in the morning with increasing cloud in the afternoon, moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche activity has been limited to small (size 1-1.5) slab and dry loose avalanches. Over the weekend there were numerous reports of 10-30 cm thick skier-triggered slabs on steep roll overs and wind loaded slopes. The majority of activity on Monday was on south and east facing terrain around treeline elevations. Looking forward, slab avalanches will remain possible to trigger, especially on sun-exposed and wind loaded slopes.

Snowpack Summary

Sunny weather could weaken cornices and the upper snowpack on steep south-facing slopes. 30-60 cm of recent storm snow is gradually settling and gaining strength, but has shown some isolated signs of reactivity on wind loaded slopes and steep convexities in sheltered terrain (where the snow sits above small surface hoar or sun crusts). These interfaces are unlikely to develop into a persistent problem, but for the next few days storm slabs could remain reactive on these isolated terrain features. The lower snowpack is generally well settled and strong.

Terrain and Travel

  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.