Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Chic-Chocs, Littoral, Murdochville.
It's spring, plan your outings to get the best quality snow possible. The alpine slopes will be very firm in the morning and the south-facing slopes will be the first to produce pleasant downhill conditions. The northern slopes will require more time to soften. If you are tackling challenging objectives, be sure to pack crampons and ice axes.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche has been observed or reported.
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Snowpack Summary
The cycle of nighttime freezing and daytime thawing will be weaker than the previous days, on Wednesday night. Nevertheless, firm conditions are likely to be found in the alpine on Thursday morning, especially on the north faces. Solar radiation will also be less important on Thursday than the last few days, but the mild temperatures will still allow the surface of the slopes to soften. At the base of the mountains, the warmth will continue to transform the snow and continue to melt the snowpack. More and more areas are now without snow cover, mainly at and below treeline where conditions are minimal.Snowpack heights range from 0 cm (valley) to 90 cm (mid-mountain).
Weather Summary
Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.
Synopsis: Passage of a weak trough bringing cloudy weather to the Gaspé Peninsula. Wednesday evening and night: Cloudy with sunny spells, light northwest winds, minimum 0 C, freezing level at 1000m. Thursday: Cloudy, light northwest winds, high +2 C, freezing level at 1600 m.Friday: Clear, light northwest winds, maximum +5 C, freezing level at 1800 m.Saturday: Alternating sun and clouds, light southeast winds, maximum +6 C, freezing level at 1700 m. For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Caution around slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.
- As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
- The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
- Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches
Avalanche Problems
Cornices
The spring weather conditions, in particular in the absence of overnight refreezing, contribute to weakening the cornices. Even small, a cornice fall can be destructive with serious consequences. Since they are very unpredictable, it is best to stay away from them at all times.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5
Loose Wet
The heat and the intense solar radiation will promote the triggering of small loose wet snow avalanches, in particular on the steep slopes on solar aspects.
Aspects: East, South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5