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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 18th, 2021–Apr 19th, 2021

Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Jasper.

A good overnight freeze will likely make for fast travel on hard crusts early in the day.

Watch for higher amounts of new snow and wind loading if heading up to the icefields.

Weather Forecast

Monday: A mix of sun and cloud. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: High -2 C. Ridge wind light to 20 km/h. Freezing level: 2100 metres.

Tuesday: A mix of sun and cloud. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: Low -7 C, High 1 C. Light ridge wind. Freezing level: 2300 metres.

Snowpack Summary

Melt/Freeze crus, possibly over moist or wet snow, all aspects and elevations except north above ~2500m where the snow remained dry. High Alpine (icefields) could have up to 5cm of new snow being redistributed by moderate to strong northerly winds.

Avalanche Summary

Loose wet and wet slabs to ground observed on all aspects up to size 3 throughout the region during the heat wave over the last few days.

Confidence

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.