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

Dec 5th, 2024–Dec 6th, 2024

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Dangerous avalanche conditions persist as new snow and wind form fresh, reactive wind slabs.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred in the past few days as rain and warm temperatures infiltrated the region. Notable slab avalanches up to size 3 were reported along the Klondike Highway. See this MIN for more details.

Large natural avalanche activity is expected to taper on Friday with cooling temperatures, but new snow will likely form fresh, rider-triggerable wind slabs.

Please consider sharing your observations through the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

New snow accumulates atop a moist upper snowpack from rain in the past few days. Strong winds will create heavily wind-affected surfaces and redistribute new snow into fresh wind slabs.

The remainder of the snowpack is generally strong, with some crusts near the base.

Snow depths vary significantly, averaging around 70 to 130 cm at Whitepass.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of new snow. 40 to 60 km/h south ridge top wind. Freezing level drops to 1100 m. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 50 to 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 km/h north ridge top wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Keep in mind that the high density of wet avalanches can make them destructive.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.