Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 20th, 2020 8:00AM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Loose Dry.
andrew jones,
Parks Canada
Even with low avalanche hazard, little falls have big consequences in extreme terrain.
Summary
Weather Forecast
Sunny with cloudy periods this afternoon and no precipitation. Alpine temperature climbs to -7 °C and the freezing level will reach 1200m. Ridge wind SW 20 km/h. Snow is expected with the arrival of a pacific front on Friday night. The current model shows 9cm Saturday, 9cm Sunday and 8cm Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Strong sun followed by an overnight deep freeze left a crust on steep solar aspects. On shaded slopes expect 20-30cm of low density snow over a well settled mid-pack. Variable stubborn wind slab can be found in alpine elevations along ridge-tops and exposed tree-line features. Steep south aspects have a sun crust buried 30-60cm below the surface.
Avalanche Summary
A small natural cycle was observed in the highway corridor from solar aspects with steep rocky start zones. Backcounty users reported seeing additional solar triggered activity yesterday in steep south facing alpine areas. In the Young's Peak area, a large cornice failure occurred within the last 48hrs.
Confidence
Problems
Loose Dry
Solar-triggered avalanches on steep south facing aspects remain a concern for today. These avalanches are especially likely around rocky outcrops when daytime heating is intensified by the rocks. Solar heating also weakens cornices.
- Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
- Cornices become weak with daytime heating, so travel early on exposed slopes.
Aspects: South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 21st, 2020 8:00AM
