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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 22nd, 2020–Dec 25th, 2020

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

Regions

Waterton Lakes.

Give the new snow time to settle and be mindful of the reverse loading that occurred during the storm. New snow may stress buried weak layers. Our increasingly complex snowpack warrants a cautious approach over the holidays.

Weather Forecast

Tonight: Trace amounts of snow with moderate North wind. Freezing level valley bottom.

Wednesday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Moderate Westerly wind. Possible alpine temperature inversion at Cameron Lake.

Thursday: Sunny With cloudy Periods. Moderate Westerly wind. Alpine temperature inversion at Cameron Lake.

Snowpack Summary

30cm of new snow arrived with a moderate Northerly wind causing reverse loading. New snow has a rain crust below 1900m within the storm slab. These new storm slabs sit over a thick persistent slab which overlies the Dec 9th melt freeze crust. The mid snowpack is well consolidated with a ice crust forming the base of the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

Storm conditions obscured Alpine limiting observations.

No avalanches observed at the treeline elevation at Cameron Lake.

Treeline snow depth at Cameron lake up to 1.5m with amounts tapering quickly at lower elevations and in other areas of the Park.

Confidence

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.