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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 6th, 2019–Dec 7th, 2019

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
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.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

The big dump keeps us waiting... 

Confidence

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY NIGHT: 5-10 cm snow above 1600 m (rain below), 40 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine temperatures around -1 C. 

SATURDAY: Flurries with up to 5 cm of snow above 1600 m (rain below), 30 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -1 C.

SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the north, alpine high temperatures around -3 C, freezing level at 1200 m.

MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the west, alpine high temperatures around +5 C, freezing level at 2700 m.

Avalanche Summary

Recent reports indicate a few small (size 1) slab avalanches triggered by skiers and explosives on Wednesday. They were 20-30 cm thick and ran on a hard crust. 

Snowpack Summary

The last storm brought up to 10-15 cm of new snow at upper elevations in the last few days. Not to far beneath this new snow is a hard crust that formed in late November. Recent snowpack tests have shown the snow above this crust is weak and could provide a bed surface for avalanches to run on. Typical snowpack depths in the alpine currently range between 50 and 150 cm, depending on the amount of wind affect. Snowpack depths taper quickly with elevation as most treeline terrain is still below the threshold for avalanches.

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.