Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 12th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs and Deep Persistent Slabs.
jsmith,
Avalanche Canada
Forecast snow and wind are expected to form large storm slabs that are reactive to human triggers at all elevations.
Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported in this region on Saturday.
Forecast snow and wind are expected to form large storm slabs that are reactive to human triggers on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Forecast snow and wind are expected to form fresh storm slabs that are reactive to human triggers.
The storm slabs will be sitting on a variety of surfaces. These include surface hoar (3-10 mm) on shady slopes at all elevations, wind affected surfaces at treeline and above, and sun crust on sunny aspects.
The mid-snowpack is generally strong but the lower snowpack is a different story.
The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. They are showing signs of improving but this layer remains a significant concern in rocky, shallow, or thin to thick snowpack areas at treeline and above.
Weather Summary
Sunday Night
Snow; 5-15 cm / Moderate southwest ridgetop wind / Low temperature at treeline around -8 C / Freezing level valley bottom
Monday
Snow; 15-20 cm; another 5-10 cm overnight / Moderate southwest ridgetop wind / High temperature at treeline around -2 C / Freezing level 1100 m
Tuesday
Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries; 0-3 cm / Light southwest ridgetop wind / High temperature at treeline around -4 C / Freezing level 1000 m
Wednesday
Mix of sun and cloud / Light southwest ridgetop wind / High temperature at treeline around -3 C / Freezing level 1100 m
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
- Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
- Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
- Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Forecast snow and wind are expected to form fresh storm slabs that are reactive to human triggers at all elevations.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
A weak layer of facets exists near the base of the snowpack. The likelihood of human triggering is low given the layer's depth, but large triggers such as cornice failures or smaller avalanches in motion have the potential to produce very large avalanches with surprisingly wide propagation. Suspect terrain for human triggering includes steep, shallow, and rocky terrain where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 13th, 2023 4:00PM
