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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2024–Jan 19th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains.

Constant precipitation slowly builds up our snowpack, but the effect of wind makes conditions extremely variable. Where there's wind, there's also the problem of wind slabs. As there is still snow available for transport, these are in the process of forming and will remain reactive for a few days. Be careful when approaching slopes freshly loaded by the wind.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche was reported or observed. If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

The strong wind of the last few days, which changed direction a few times, created strong spatial variability in the alpine and at the treeline. The 20 to 35 cm of very light snow was easily shifted to create areas of heavy accumulation, sometimes next to still-exposed rocks. The height of the snowpack varies between 10 cm and 180 cm, with an average height of around 100 cm at mid-mountain.

This new loading is generally found on the southern and eastern slopes. But it's important to remember that these slopes were previously cleared of snow. To the north and west, we find old snow exposed to the wind at the bottom of the coulées, or crust and rock.

The best snow lies below the tree line, sheltered from the wind, but the obstacles are always close by.

Weather Summary

Synopsis: Steady westerly and northwesterly winds, an ice-free St. Lawrence river and cold temperatures will bring light daily precipitation to the Chic-Chocs.

Thursday evening and night : Light snow, 1 to 3 cm. West wind, 40 to 60 km/h. Low -20.

Friday: Light snow, 1 to 3 cm. Wind northwest, 30 to 50 km/h. High -17.

Saturday: Cloudy. Light snow. Moderate northerly wind. High -8.

Sunday: Clearing. Moderate northwest wind. High -15.

For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.

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.