Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Jan 7 – 10, 2022
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate

Highlights

The storms coming!!! 25 cm of new snow, extreme winds and rising temps will combine with 20 cm snow from previous cycle to create reactive storm slabs on friday. Investigate storm slabs thoroughly before committing.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1.5–3.5

    No avalanches observed on this layer in our tenure however neighboring tenures are still seeing activity. With a large enough trigger or rising freezing levels this layer could produce results.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    20 cm of unconsolidated snow from previous storm cycle will combine with up to 25 cm new snow, extreme westerly winds and warm temps to create surface slabs.

Weather Forecast

Friday: Overcast and snowing, 25 cm accumulation. Strong to extreme from SW. Alpine high -5. Freezing level 1200 m.

Saturday: Overcast with flurries, 5-10 cm. Moderate to strong W winds. Alpine high -12. Freezing level valley bottom.

Sunday: Mix of sun and cloud. Possible flurries. Strong W winds. Alpine high -6. Freezing level 1200m.

Snowpack Summary

20 cm unconsolidated snow is being redistributed by extreme westerly winds. Below this is a 10 - 30 cm hard wind slab. Mid pack is well settled. Facets are found above Dec 4 crust down 80-120 cm. A 20-60 cm thick Nov crust complex completes the snowpack to ground. No results have been seen on the Dec 4 layer in our pits this week.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche observed on field day today. Thanks to everyone posting on the Mountain Information Network, keep up the great work, we really do read them.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain

Regions covered