Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 11th, 2020–Mar 12th, 2020

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Jasper.

Wind pressed snow is widespread in the forecast region at the moment, Caution as new snow will bury and cover widespread wind slabs, making them hard to assess.

Weather Forecast

Thursday will see up to 9cm of snow accompanied with light Northerly winds, -12 as the high.

Friday we will see the temperatures drop to -28 with overcast and Light Easterly winds.

The weekend will see continued cold temps and light flurries with appearances from the sun.

More detailed forecast at: Mountain weather forecast

Snowpack Summary

Storm snow is bonding well to older snow surfaces. The Icefields has a well bridged mid pack overlying basal facets and depth hoar. The northern region is weak and shallow; bridging over the basal weakness is less reliable BTL.

Avalanche Summary

A field team down south noted two Deep persistent 3.5 size avalanches on SW & NE aspects in the alpine. Numerous loose dry observed on E-S faces from steep rocky terrain in the Icefields A size 2 cornice release was also observed entraining storm snow from a steep lee feature in the Maligne

Share your observations: Mountain Information Network

Confidence

Due to the number and quality of field observations

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.