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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 13th, 2022–Dec 14th, 2022

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

Regions

White Pass East, White Pass West.

It is snowing and blowing in White Pass and this new snow and wind will rapidly form reactive Wind Slabs. It's a good time to avoid a lot of avalanche terrain especially wind affected places like below ridgelines and large gullies. Pay attention to the snow beneath your feet or track and be ready to back off quickly if you feel or see signs of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

The AvCan Field team observed evidence of a Wind Slab avalanche cycle from early in the storm above Canada Customs.

Avalanche professionals traveling the South Klondike highway corridor on Monday reported observing active cross-loading and wind slab deposition at higher elevations.

Snowpack Summary

White Pass received 10-20cm of storm snow on Monday and will continue to see these amounts daily until Thursday. The new snow is being delivered with strong to extreme southwest winds and instantly forming touchy Wind Slabs.

A faceting crust is found down 20-50 cm on solar aspects but has not been reactive in tests. The lower snowpack consists of soft, sugary facets and a crust near ground level.

Up to 125 cm of snow can be found in the alpine however winds have made distribution variable. Treeline snow depth averages 80 cm. Early-season hazards exist at treeline and below such as rocks, stumps, and open creeks.

Weather Summary

Tuesday night

Cloudy. 5-10cm of new snow overnight. Winds from the southwest 20km/h gusting to 50km/h. Temperatures around -10˚C. 

Wednesday

Cloudy. 10-15cm of new snow. Winds from the southwest 40km/h gusting to 70km/h or stronger in the high alpine. Temperatures holding near -4˚C. 

Thursday

Cloudy. 5-10cm of new snow. Winds from the southwest 30km/h gusting to 50km/h or stronger in the high alpine. Temperatures holding at -4˚C. 

Friday

Get ready for the deep freeze. Flurries taper in the morning and Arctic air moves in bringing clear skies by the afternoon. Winds will switch to the north at 20km/h. Temperatures will plummet to -20˚C by late afternoon. 

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.

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.