Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 7th, 2022–Feb 8th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon.

Travel cautiously in wind-affected terrain, as touchy wind slabs exist.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, 50 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -6 C.

TUESDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, 60 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level rising to 900 m.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with snow and rain, accumulation 10 to 15 cm snow above 1200 m and rain below, 60 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -1 C, freezing level 1200 m.

THURSDAY: Early-morning snowfall then clear skies, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, 50 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -10 C.

Avalanche Summary

A widespread avalanche cycle occurred on the weekend for the closed South Klondike Highway area, with avalanches on north and east aspects (lee slopes) to size 3. This MIN also describes a couple skier-triggered wind slab avalanches in the Wheaton.

Looking forward, similar natural and skier-triggered wind slab avalanches are expected as stormy conditions continue.

Snowpack Summary

Strong south to southwest wind has blown any recent snow into touchy wind slabs in lee terrain features. The slabs may be widely variable in thickness, anywhere from 20 to upwards of 100 cm thick. A few reports suggest the slabs may have a poor bond with underlying surfaces, including previous hard wind slabs and potentially surface hoar crystals in sheltered and shaded terrain. It is possible that recent snow has formed storm slabs in the most sheltered of terrain that has avoided these perpetual winds.

In shallow snowpack areas, a layer of loose facets can be found at the bottom of the snowpack.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.

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.