Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 10th, 2019 5:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
ldreier,
Avalanche Canada
Triggering wind slab avalanches might be possible in the alpine. Watch out for signs of instability as you approach avalanche terrain.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with flurries, 30 km/h wind from the west, alpine temperatures around -5 C, freezing level at 1200 m.
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with flurries, 30 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -3 C, freezing level at 1300 m.
THURSDAY: Cloudy, 5-15 cm of snow, 60 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -6 C, freezing level at 1300 m.
FRIDAY: Cloudy with flurries, light wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -8 C, freezing level at 1000 m.Â
Avalanche Summary
Minimal avalanche activity has been reported over the past week. Some parts of the region may have received enough new snow with the recent storm to form slabs at higher elevations. The greatest concern is in wind affected terrain and where the storm snow sits on smooth surfaces (such as glaciers, rock slabs, and areas that already have enough snow to cover rocks and shrubs).
Snowpack Summary
The recent storm snow totals to about 25 cm for most parts of the region. The snow layers underneath are a mix of hard crusts and facet/crust layers. Snowpack depths remain quite thin throughout the region. Current snowpack depths are around 70 cm at upper treeline elevations, with many rocks and trees sticking out at lower elevations. In the alpine you can find slightly deeper areas where wind has formed wind slabs. Below treeline terrain is below the threshold for avalanches.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind slabs were created during the storm last week with southwest winds. A change of the wind direction to wind from the north on Saturday might have created fresh wind slab pockets in lee terrain features. Wind slabs might be possible to trigger where the snow sits on smooth surfaces (such as glaciers, rock slabs, and areas that already have enough snow to cover rocks and shrubs).
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 11th, 2019 5:00PM
