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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 18th, 2020–Nov 19th, 2020

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

10-13 cm of snow is forecast overnight with moderate winds out of the west. The big concern right now is all the new and buried windslabs at treeline and above.  

Confidence

Low -

Weather Forecast

10-12cm of snow is forecast to fall overnight with temperatures cooling. Winds will continue to be moderate to strong out of the west with temperatures in the -8C range. 

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Wednesday but observations were limited. 

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10cm of snow fell overnight an throughout the day on Wednesday but the big thing was the warm temperatures and light rain overnight on Tuesday. The freezing level was around 2300m with moist snow below this level. When this freezes we will likely have another crust to deal with at and around treeline. Windslabs are widespread in alpine areas and at treeline due to strong winds Tuesday and Wednesday. So pay close attention as you move into wind affected areas for that drummy feeling. Two recent skier triggered avalanches this week are a good indication that this layer is prone to human triggering. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

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.