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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2022–Jan 9th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Waterton Lakes.

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.

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

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

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.