Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2023–Mar 9th, 2023

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains, Littoral, Murdochville.

Mild temperatures have greatly helped to stabilize the wind slabs in the alpine, but they are still showing propagation in our tests, which is why the rating remains moderate at this elevation band.

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Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Several small non-cohesive wet loose snow avalanches were observed Wednesday by the field team on the steep southern slopes of Mount Albert

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Snowpack Summary

Near the summits, and on the northern and western slopes of the alpine, the wind has exposed various crusts, ice, or hardened snow. To the south and east of the alpine, there is a superposition of wind-blown slabs, often of high density and variable thickness. We find a melt-freeze crust on the surface up to the summit on the southern slopes and up to about 800m on the other slopes. This will be warmed by the sun and the heat on Thursday afternoon in the south.

In areas more sheltered from the wind at and below the treeline, the February 17 crust is generally under 20 to 35 cm of snow, also affected by the heat and refreezing of the last few days.

The middle of the snowpack is well consolidated, with the January 18 crust 50 to 80 cm below the surface.

In general, the height of the snowpack varies from 80 to 100 cm in the valley to 110 to 160 cm in the middle mountains.

Weather Summary

Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.

Wednesday evening and night: Light snow, 1 to 2 cm. Wind northeast, 30 to 50 km/h. Low -6.Thursday: Clearing in the afternoon. Wind 20 to 30 km/h from the northeast. Max. -4C. Freezing level at 350 m.Friday: Light snow, then alternating sun and clouds. Wind north, 25 to 45 km/h. Maximum -6. Freezing level at sea level.Saturday: Alternating sun and clouds. Wind northeast, 30 to 40 km/h. High -3. Freezing level at 100 m.

For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.