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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 17th, 2021–Mar 18th, 2021

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

Regions

South Coast Inland.

New wind slabs may form over Thursday at higher elevations.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the track & intensity of the incoming weather system.

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, 30 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -1 C, freezing level 1700 m.

THURSDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, 40 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 1500 m.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 15 cm, 20 to 40 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -5 C.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, 20 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -6 C.

Avalanche Summary

A few small wet loose avalanches were triggered naturally during the heat of the day on Tuesday. Otherwise, no new avalanches were observed. Avalanche activity is expected to increase in the coming days as a multi-day storm impacts the region.

Snowpack Summary

A storm starts impacting the region on Thursday, bringing some new snow and strong south wind. New wind slabs may form at high elevations in lee terrain features. The new snow will overly a melt-freeze crust up to around 1700 m and higher on sun-exposed slopes or wind-affected dry snow on northerly aspects at high elevations. Remember that cornices along ridgelines are large at this time of year and always have the possibility of failing naturally or from the weight of a human.

Terrain and Travel

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • Extra caution is needed around cornices under the current conditions.

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.