Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Dec 8 – 9, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
No rating
Treeline
No rating
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Avalanche danger is expected to decrease as things dry out and cool off.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Recent storm snow is bonding poorly to the previous snow surface and is expected to be particularly deep and touchy on leeward side of ridgecrests and terrain features.

Confidence

Low - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Wednesday:  Cloudy with periods of wet snow or rain in the morning with freezing levels around 2000m, but becoming snow in the afternoon (5-10cm) as freezing levels drop to 1600m. Strong southwesterly ridgetop winds. Thursday: Increasing cloud with light snow flurries in the afternoon, freezing levels near valley bottoms and moderate southwesterly ridgetop winds. Friday: Cloudy with possible sunny breaks and a chance of flurries. Freezing levels near valley bottoms and moderate southwesterly ridgetop winds.

Avalanche Summary

Reports from Monday are limited, but include an isolated explosive-triggered Size 1 wind slab avalanche.

Snowpack Summary

Continued snowfall brings total treeline snowpack depths to around a metre, with even more in the alpine, but it diminishes quickly below treeline.  Recent storm and wind slabs are bonding poorly to old snow surfaces including crusts, and/or a combination of facets and buried surface hoar. The early December surface is likely a crust down around 30-50cm. Below that a thick layer of facets is probably bonding poorly to the thick mid-November crust. We're receiving very little information from the region, so please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network.

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