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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 1st, 2019–Feb 2nd, 2019

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

Regions

Jasper.

Highway 93N, Icefields Parkway is Closed from Athabasca Falls to Sask River Crossing. Expected opening for both: Saturday at 18:00. (low confidence) Check Alberta511 for latest updates

Weather Forecast

Periods of snow, at times heavy. Accumulation in Icefields: 18cm overnight Thursday, with a further 20cm on Friday; 8 -10cm Saturday. Temps drop over the day Saturday with an overnight low of -28. Valley bottom freezing levels. Mostly light SW winds, gusting at ridge tops. A detailed mountain weather forecast is available from Avalanche Canada.

Snowpack Summary

Forecasted storm snow over this weekend, 18cm at the time of report, (potentially a further 30cm), will change everything. The existing upper snow pack continues to settle over surface hoar, now down 30cm. Solar aspects have buried surface sun/temperature crusts at TL and below. Below that, a strong mid-pack sits over a deep persistent weakness.

Avalanche Summary

Poor visibility through the forecast region. No new avalanches observed or reported. Help forecast - share observations HERE, on the Mountain Information Network!

Confidence

The weather pattern is stable

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.

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.