Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 18th, 2020 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is
mconlan,
Avalanche Canada
A cool, cloudy day is forecast for Thursday. Small, isolated pockets of wind slab may exist in steep alpine terrain.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light to moderate west wind, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level 1600 m.
THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy, light northeast wind, alpine temperature -11 C, freezing level 900 m.
FRIDAY: Clear skies, light to moderate northwest wind, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level 1300 m.
SATURDAY: Clear skies, light southwest wind, alpine temperature -1 C, freezing level 1900 m.
Avalanche Summary
On Wednesday, a few small loose wet avalanches and wind slabs were observed on sun-exposed slopes. They released during the heat of the day, as the snowpack was baking in the sun.
On Monday, a large avalanche was remotely triggered near Fernie, as described in this MIN. The avalanche released on the faceted grains above the melt-freeze crust described in the Snowpack Summary. The likelihood of triggering this layer will reduce on Thursday with cool and cloudy conditions. We will continue to track avalanche activity on this layer to observe for trends.
If you decide to travel in the backcountry, consider sharing your observations with us and fellow recreationists via the Mountain Information Network (MIN) to supplement our data stream as operators are shutting down. Even just a photo of what the day looked like would be helpful.
Snowpack Summary
Sunny skies have formed a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes. The alpine consists of wind affected snow from easterly wind. This wind direction is atypical, so you may find small pockets of wind slabs in terrain features on south to west aspects.
A layer of faceted grains overly a melt-freeze crust from early February. This layer currently sits 30 to 60 cm below the surface. This layer has been the culprit of recent avalanche activity near Fernie.
The middle of the snowpack is generally strong, but the base of the snowpack may contain a weak layer of faceted grains that are most prominent in shallow rocky start zones with a snowpack depth of 150 cm or less.
Terrain and Travel
- Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
- Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
Valid until: Mar 19th, 2020 5:00PM
