Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 30th, 2020 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs, Wind Slabs and Loose Wet.
marcus waring,
Parks Canada
15-30 mm of precipitation is expected with freezing levels rising to 2000m Friday-Saturday. Avoid avalanche terrain on Saturday and be mindful of your overhead hazard.
Summary
Weather Forecast
Friday: Cloudy with rain & snow. Freezing level 2000m. Strong SW wind with gusts of 100km/h. 5-10mm of precipitation with periods of freezing rain.
Saturday: Cloudy with rain & snow. Freezing level 1800m. Strong-extreme SW winds with gusts of 120 km/h. 10-15mm of precipitation.
Sunday: Mostly Cloudy, isolated flurries. Freezing level valley bottom.
Snowpack Summary
Melt freeze crust up to 2000m. This surface crust will increase reactivity of storm snow arriving Fri/Sat. The upper snowpack consist of a 20-70cm windslab sitting over a well settled midpack. Strength of the snowpack will decrease with rising temps & new snow. Upper snowpack avalanches have potential to entrain wet loose snow below freezing level.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed.
Confidence
Problems
Storm Slabs
The snowpack is extremely variable in depth and strength. Rapid loading in expected to cause a widespread natural avalanche cycle late Friday into Saturday.
- Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
- If triggered the storm/wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Wind Slabs
Strong southwest winds have created stiff wind slabs in lee features. New snow will make buried windslab difficult to spot.
- Use caution in lee areas. Recent wind loading has created wind slabs.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Wet
High freezing levels and a total of 10-30mm of precipitation may cause storm slabs to entrain wet loose avalanches at lower elevations.
- Avoid areas with overhead hazard.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Treeline, Below Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 2nd, 2020 4:00PM
