Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Corner Brook, Gros Morne, Long Range Mountains, Northern Peninsula.
Avalanche hazard exists in areas with a surviving snowpack, like high alpine bowls, gullies and ridgelines. Warming on Sunday will destabilize recent snow sitting over a slippery crust.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
10 to 30 cm of recent snow is settling rapidly in the warm temperatures. It sits over a thick crust or directly on the ground in areas where the snowpack was washed away by last week's rain. In exposed terrain, the recent snow has been redistributed into lee features by strong west winds.
In the high alpine, greatest snowpack depths are in the range of 1 m. Elsewhere, most areas are below threshold for avalanches.
Weather Summary
First a mini warm up on Sunday, then a major warm up on Tuesday night.
Saturday night
Increasing cloud. West wind 30-50 km/h switching southwest and easing overnight. Alpine temperature rising to 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 300 m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with up to 5mm of mixed precipitation concentrated south of Port au Port. West wind 20-40 km/h. Daytime freezing level 400 m dropping to sea level overnight. Alpine daytime high +2 °C, overnight low -14 °C.
Monday
Sunny. Northwest to northeast wind <20 km/h. Alpine daytime high -5 °C, overnight low -15 °C.
Tuesday
A mix of sun and cloud. Southwest wind 20-30 km/h. Alpine temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 200 m, then rising to 3000 m overnight and into Wednesday.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Winter conditions may exist in gullies, alpine bowls, and around ridgelines.
- Extra caution for areas experiencing rapidly warming temperatures for the first time.
- 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.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Deep deposits of wind-loaded snow sit over a slippery crust in lee features in wind-exposed terrain. In the short term, warm temperatures will have a destabilizing effect on the cold snow, but in the longer term they will promote bonding.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Loose Wet
As warm temperatures melt the surface snow, loose wet avalanches become more likely in steep terrain. Exposed rocks heat up with daytime warming and become likely trigger points.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5