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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 29th, 2019–Nov 30th, 2019

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Recent snowfall amounts are highly variable across the region. Extra caution is advised in areas that received greater than 30 cm of fresh snow earlier in the week.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY Night: Mainly clear, light east wind, alpine high temperature -12 C.

SATURDAY: Sunny, light southwest wind, alpine high temperature -9 C.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, Light west wind, alpine high temperature -8 C.

MONDAY: Mainly cloudy, light west wind, alpine high temperature -7 C.

Avalanche Summary

Wednesday's storm likely produced some dry loose avalanches in northern parts of the region (as has been observed in Kananaskis Country), while the southern parts of the region likely experienced a more widespread cycle of storm slab avalanches. Looking ahead, slopes that have been loaded by the wind are the most likely spots for human triggering across the region. There is more uncertainty about how quickly the storm snow has gained strength south of Crowsnest Pass. People travelling in that part of the region should approach avalanche terrain with greater caution.

Snowpack Summary

An intense winter storm brought variable amounts of snow to the region on Wednesday. Areas south of Crowsnest Pass received 30-60 cm of snow, areas north of Crowsnest Pass received 10-30 cm of snow, and the Elk Valley and other parts of BC received 0-10 cm of snow. The new snow is heavily wind affected and expect to find wind slabs in open terrain. The most dangerous wind slabs and storm slabs will be in southern parts of the region that received >30 cm of snow. The new snow has fallen on a highly variable early season snowpack. Some terrain already had 50-100 cm of snow while other terrain had no snow prior to this storm. In areas that had prior snow, there could be a crust in the snowpack that could develop into a sliding layer for the snow above it.

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.