Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Mar 10th, 2024 4:00PM

The alpine rating is high, the treeline rating is high, and the below treeline rating is considerable. Known problems include Storm Slabs.

Avalanche Canada dsaly, Avalanche Canada

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A heavy load of new snow is primed for human-triggering. More snow and wind intensifying through Monday will increase an already elevated avalanche hazard.

Summary

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday and through Sunday, storm snow was reactive to human triggers, with reports of storm slab avalanches to size 2. This MIN captures the snowpack well.

Snowpack Summary

New snowfall amounts over the weekend exceeded 100 cm in areas. This new snow covers a variety of mostly cold and hard surfaces and in protected areas surface hoar. Strong southwest winds have and continue to strip snow from ridgelines and exposed features and deposit new snow into deep pockets in lee aspect terrain.

Below this, over 100 cm of older, settled snow covers a widespread crust. Below this crust, 40-70 cm of previous storm snow in some areas sits on a strengthening layer of pellet-like graupel over an earlier crust.

The lower snowpack is well consolidated.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Wet flurries and snow above 1000 m, 10-20 mm precipitation. Southwest ridgetop wind 30-50 km/h. Treeline temperature -1 °C with freezing level dropping below 900 m.

Monday

Flurries, 10 cm snow through the day and another storm intensifying into Monday night. Southeast ridgetop wind 30-60 km/hr and gusting upwards of 90 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C with freezing level around 1000 m.

Tuesday

Wet flurries and snow, 20-50 mm precipitation overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. 40-60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C with freezing level around 1000 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, up to 5 cm. Southwest ridgetop wind 20-30 km/h gusting into strong. Treeline temperature -1 °C with freezing level rising to 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Use increased caution at all elevations. Storm snow is forming touchy slabs.
  • Be careful to keep storm day fever from luring you out into bigger terrain features.

Problems

Storm Slabs

An icon showing Storm Slabs

Ongoing wind and snowfall continue to form reactive slabs. Reactivity is expected to increase with another pulse of wind and precipitation intensifying through Monday.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: All elevations.

Likelihood

Likely - Very Likely

Expected Size

1 - 2.5

Valid until: Mar 11th, 2024 4:00PM

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