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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 20th, 2025–Feb 21st, 2025

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Watch for newly formed wind slabs in exposed terrain.

Verify conditions as you travel. The snowpack is highly variable and weather could vary across the forecast area.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past week.

If you are traveling in the mountains consider posting to the MIN.

Snowpack Summary

The new snowfall is burying wind-affected surfaces in exposed terrain on all aspects and elevations. Moderate to strong south and southwest winds will likely be forming deeper deposits in leeward terrain. Ongoing cold temperatures have softened the upper snowpack in sheltered terrain.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 60 to 100 cm deep. This layer exists on all aspects up to 1750 m.

At the highway elevation, the snow depth is 120 cm, and in the alpine exceeds 200 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 5-10 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 3-5 cm of snow in the morning, partly sunny in the afternoon. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature - 3 °C.

Saturday

Mainly cloudy with 1-3 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with 5-10 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rocky outcrops, and steep terrain where triggering is most likely.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.