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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 17th, 2020–Mar 18th, 2020

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.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

Watch for unstable snow on sun-exposed slopes and steep wind-affected terrain.

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Weather Forecast

A high pressure system brings clear dry conditions for the week.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light northeast wind, freezing level drops to valley bottom, alpine temperatures drop to -10 C.

WEDNESDAY: Clear skies, light north wind, freezing level climbing to 1500 m, alpine high temperatures around -2 C.

THURSDAY: Sunny with a few clouds, light south wind, freezing level climbing to 1500 m, alpine high temperatures around -2 C.

FRIDAY: Sunny, light south wind, freezing level climbing to 1500 m, alpine high temperatures around -2 C.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday warm sunny weather resulted in several wet loose avalanches on south-facing slopes in steep rocky terrain (see this MIN report for an example). Over the weekend a few size 1 human triggered wind slab avalanches were reported, and one size 2 wind slab was triggered by riders on a southwest aspect near Mt. Currie.

Looking forward, daily warming will likely cause more wet loose avalanches and potentially weaken cornices and lingering wind slabs.

Snowpack Summary

A surface crust now exists in all terrain except shaded alpine slopes. Open terrain is heavily wind affected. The snowpack is generally strong and settled, however weak faceted snow and crusts exist near the base of the snowpack in some areas, particularly the eastern and northern parts of the region. This layer is considered dormant, as it hasn't produced an avalanche since Feb 20.

Terrain and Travel

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

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.