Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 16th, 2020 5:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
dsaly,
Avalanche Canada
Wind has impacted the recent 30 cm snowfall, look for more reactive deposits around ridge features and steep rolls.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
We’re moving into a dryer period that is expected to be with us for the foreseeable future. Temperatures look very reasonable for the middle of February and there is a lot of sun in the forecast through Wednesday.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear breaks. Alpine low temperature -4 C. North wind 15-30 km/hr. Freezing level 100 m.
MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Alpine high temperature -4 C. Northwest wind 10-20 km/hr. Freezing level 500 m.
TUESDAY: Sunny. Alpine high temperature +1 C. East wind 10-15 km/hr. Freezing level 1100 m.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny with clouds. Alpine high temperature +3 C. South wind 15 gusting to 35 km/hr. Freezing level 1900 m.
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday, slab avalanches up to size 2 were triggered by skiers as storm slabs 20-40 cm thick slid on the crust.
On February 8th a small skier triggered slab avalanche on the rain crust was reported (see this MIN report). The bond at this interface appears to be strengthening over time.
Snowpack Summary
20 to 30 cm of recent storm snow is settling with warm temperatures and being redistributed by westerly winds. This snow covered a variety of wind affected surfaces in the alpine, well settled dense snow at lower elevations, and a sun crust on solar aspects. There may be isolated pockets of surface hoar too. Sun and warm temperatures may encourage wet avalanches, starting with steep terrain at lower elevations.
A thick rain crust sits 50-60 cm below the surface. The snowpack below consists of moist to wet snow and is well settled. Snowpack depths are in the range of 200-250 cm around the peaks of the North Shore mountains (1400 m), tapering quickly with elevation to almost nothing below 1000 m.
Terrain and Travel
- Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Approach steep open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, buried surface hoar may exist.
- Avoid sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if snow is moist or wet
Problems
Wind Slabs
The 30 cm snowfall from over the weekend has been impacted by wind. Look for reactive pockets around ridge features and steep rolls. Keep an eye on cornices and overhead hazards, especially if the sun comes out and warms the surface snow.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 17th, 2020 5:00PM
