Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Mar 25th, 2014 4:00PM

The alpine rating is considerable, the treeline rating is considerable, and the below treeline rating is moderate. Known problems include Persistent Slabs.

aaron beardmore, Parks Canada

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Forecasted snowfall amounts are uncertain. Be observant of storm snow accumulations at the local level and watch for the development of storm slabs.

Summary

Weather Forecast

Up to 20cm of storm snow is expected to fall across the forecast region tomorrow. Likely, by 9am tomorrow the storm will start to taper off and then build again Weds night. The storm snow will elevate the hazard to considerable on Tues. Steady precip is expected throughout Weds/Thurs. Added load on Thurs/Fri will raise the danger rating to high.

Snowpack Summary

30-60cm of storm snow with little wind effect is bonding well. E of the divide, the Mar 13 sun-crust/facet layer is down 30-60 cm on S aspects, and the Feb 10 crust/facet layer is down 60-100cm and still whumphing in thin areas. W of the divide, the Feb 10 is deeper (80-150cm) and less reactive.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed or reported today in the forecast region. However, a few large skier triggered avalanches in the Columbias and K-Country over the last couple days indicate that the weak layers still exist and can be triggered by humans in specific areas.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Thursday

Problems

Persistent Slabs

The Feb 10 layer is touchier in the eastern portion of the forecast area, less in the west. In addition to Feb 10, the Mar 13 layer (suncrust on south aspects) can be found down 30-60cm. No shears were found on Mt Field today during snowpack tests.

Be wary of slopes that did not previously avalancheUse conservative route selection, choose moderate angled and supported terrain with low consequence.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: All elevations.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

2 - 3

Valid until: Mar 26th, 2014 4:00PM