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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2023–Apr 3rd, 2023

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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

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

Although it is forecast to stay relatively cool during the day, the intensity of the sun will increase the likelihood of thin wet loose avalanches running on steep solar aspects during the warmest part of the day.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

There was a skier remote triggered (from a distance) cornice fall which subsequently triggered a size 3 persistent slab avalanche on a northeast aspect at 1750m on Saturday. The trigger point was at a thin spot on top of a flat ridgetop. The fracture was 200cm deep and was suspected of running on a layer of facets sitting on a crust buried in January.

Let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Slopes facing the sun are likely moist or have a thin surface crust. 5 to 15 cm of new snow falling late last week sits on wind-pressed surfaces in the alpine. Soft older snow may be found in shady, wind-sheltered areas. A weak layer of surface hoar/crust/facets buried in early January is now over 1 m deep in most areas and was responsible for an avalanche release recently. The lower snowpack consists of basal facets, particularly in thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, accumulation 2-3cm, light to moderate west and northwest wind, alpine temperature around -11 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny, light to moderate northwest wind, alpine temperature around -9°C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with scattered flurries, accumulation 2-4cm, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature around -6 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with scattered flurries, accumulation 1-2cm, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature around -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Use caution on large alpine slopes, especially around thin areas that may propagate to deeper instabilities.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.