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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 16th, 2021–Apr 17th, 2021

Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Jasper.

On Saturday, Maligne lake road will close at 6am and Icefields parkway will close at 11am from Parkers ridge to Saskatchewan crossing for avalanche control. Check 511 for updates. Avalanches are anticipated on all aspects and elevations.

Weather Forecast

High pressure continues over Northern BC and Alberta, rapidly establishing spring conditions in the region. Positive daytime temperatures, light winds, strong solar and rising freezing level to as high as 3000m can be expected daily and for the near future.

Snowpack Summary

Spring has Sprung! Expect a crust on solar aspects that will break down early in the day; polar aspects at TL and above may hold dry snow depending on freezing level. Persistent intense solar and warm temps will continue to destabilize snowpack structure increasing the likelihood of natural and human triggered avalanches.

Avalanche Summary

Loose wet and persistent slab avalanche activity observed on all aspects up to size 3 throughout the region. Icefalls, seracs and cornices continue to fail and trigger deeper instabilities.

Confidence

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.