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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2022–Mar 30th, 2022

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

Regions

North Rockies.

Fresh wind slabs are expected to form throughout the day. These slabs will be most reactive where they overlie a slick crust.

Loose wet avalanches are possible at lower elevations if the surface remains wet and unconsolidated.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: Increasing cloud cover. 30-50 km/h southwest winds. Freezing level dropping to 1000 m.

WEDNESDAY: Snowing, 5 cm of accumulation. 25-50 km/h northwest winds. Freezing level around 1400 m.

THURSDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, up to 5 cm accumulation. 30-50 km/h northwest winds. Freezing level around 1400 m.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with light flurries. 20-40 km/h southwest winds. Freezing level around 1300 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, a size 1.5 skier-triggered wind slab occurred on south aspect at treeline. This wind slab failed on a slick crust below the new snow. 

Several small (size 1-1.5) wet loose avalanches were observed on Sunday and Monday at treeline and below. 

Snowpack Summary

5-10 cm of new snow overlies 20 cm of heavier snow that tapers rapidly with elevation. Westerly winds may have formed small pockets of windslab in the alpine and exposed treeline. A refrozen crust can be found below the new snow on all aspects as high as 2400 m. Below the crust, the top 10-30 cm of the snowpack is moist.

There are no deeper concerns at this time.

Terrain and Travel

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.

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 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.