Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 16th, 2020 5:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
MBender,
Avalanche Canada
A stable weather pattern is forecast for the next few days. Minimize exposure to steep slopes facing the sun during the hottest part of the day.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear periods, light north wind, alpine temperature -9 C.
TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light northwest wind, alpine temperature -7 C, freezing level 1000 m.
WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light northwest wind, alpine temperature -10 C, freezing level 500 m.
THURSDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light northwest wind, alpine temperature -6 C, freezing level 1000 m.
Avalanche Summary
Recent avalanche activity includes reports of a few natural wind slab avalanches to size 2 in the alpine on northerly aspects also several cornice failures to size 2.5.
Snowpack Summary
Recent moderate to strong northeast wind has redistributed snow and formed wind slabs at all elevations.
A weak layer of surface hoar buried at the end of February may be found 50-100 cm deep. Sheltered north, northeast, and east facing slopes near treeline are the most likely locations to find this layer. Reports indicate that this layer may be absent in the northern tip of the region.
There is a low likelihood of triggering an avalanche on this layer, but the consequences of doing so would be high. Read more about surface hoar on our forecaster blog.
Terrain and Travel
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
- Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
- Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of buried surface hoar.
- Cornices become weak with daytime heating.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent moderate to strong wind blowing from a variety of directions has formed wind slabs on all aspects.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
A weak layer of surface hoar is buried 50-100 cm deep. Past observations indicate the problem is most likely to be found on north, northeast, and east aspects near treeline. This problem has been observed in all but the northern tip of the region, where there is uncertainty around the distribution of this layer.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 17th, 2020 5:00PM
