Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Feb 7 – 10, 2016Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

High winds arrived on Friday & Saturday, but brought only a little new snow. Watch for avalanche hazard to increase rapidly with sustained above-freezing temperatures early next week.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    New snow and extreme Westerly winds have and built Wind Slabs in unusual areas: these may include lower than usual in start zones, and in typically wind-sheltered terrain.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    This problem is expected to develop early next week with warm temperatures. It may exist on all aspects, however solar aspects will be the most suspect.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3
    Facets sit atop at crust buried around a meter deep. This layer generally requires large triggers, but will increase in sensitivity during periods of warm temperatures. Another persistent weak layer still exists about 50cm deep in isolated areas

Weather Forecast

Cloudy on Saturday with continued strong-extreme Westerly winds. These remain strong Sunday, easing to light through Monday. Sunday & Monday look mainly clear. Temperatures fall this afternoon, then rise slowly through Sunday, approaching zero late evening. By Monday, many forecast models predict temperatures well above freezing at most elevations.

Snowpack Summary

5-10cm of recent snow in higher terrain has formed Wind Slabs, which may be found in usually sheltered locations, due to extreme W winds Friday night. Buried below are older wind slabs, more difficult to trigger. Down 50 cm is a weak layer in isolated areas, and 1m deep is a faceting rain crust. Sensitivity of these will rise with temperatures.

Avalanche Summary

Several small Wind Slab avalanches were observed on Saturday.

Confidence

Freezing levels are uncertain

Regions covered