Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 14th, 2023 2:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
jfmichaud,
Avalanche Canada
Although the index is low, there are always isolated wind slabs in the mountains that could surprise you.
The exposed crust in the alpine and the great variability of surfaces makes travel difficult at times.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A size 2 slab avalanche crown, more than 48 hours old, was observed by the field team in the Cuve de la Serpentine at Mont Albert.
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Snowpack Summary
The 20 to 25 cm of light snow of the last week was greatly blown and redistributed by the wind. In the alpine, many surfaces were eroded to the January 18th crust. There is a great deal of spatial variability, with the possibility of isolated pockets of larger accumulations in the usual loading locations.Below the treeline, 50-60 cm of less wind-affected snow can be found on top of the decaying January 18th crust.In general, snowpack heights range from 70-90 cm in the valley to 100-150 cm in the mid-mountain.
Weather Summary
Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.
Synopsis: Arrival of a major low pressure system on Wednesday over the Chic-ChocsTuesday evening and night: Clear. Wind northwest 30 to 40 km/h. Low -12. Wednesday: Becoming cloudy in the afternoon. Wind southwest 30 km/h increasing to 60 km/h in the afternoon. High -3. Freezing level 400m. Thursday: Snow, 5 to 7 cm. Chance of freezing rain. Wind northwest 50 to 70 km/h. Maximum 0. Freezing level at 900m.Friday: Snow 5 cm. Wind northwest 30 to 50 km/h. Maximum -13. Freezing level back to sea level.
For more details, check the Alpine Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
- Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Isolated wind slabs can be found in the alpine and at treeline, in areas of heavy loading, such as couloir start zones, under breaks in the terrain or in laterally loaded areas. Since many of the surfaces were previously icy, the adhesion on them may not be very good.
Aspects: North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 15th, 2023 3:00PM
