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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 17th, 2024–Jan 18th, 2024

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

Chic-Choc Mountains.

We've had a fair amount of snow, and it feels great! But the lightness of the snow, combined with the strong wind, means that the cover is still very thin in many places. The snowpack is highly variable in the alpine and at the treeline. Be especially careful near freshly loaded snow, as wind slabs are particularly sensitive during its formation.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche was reported or observed. If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

The 15 to 30 cm of very light new snow (1mm of water for 2 cm of snow) received on Tuesday night was easily moved by the strong to extreme wind that accompanied the storm. Unfortunately, in many places in the south, this new snow didn't have a chance to settle on the ground because the wind was so strong ... or it settled directly on the rock. This was the case at Les Mines Madeleine on Wednesday. We suspect a similar situation at the Mount Albert alpine, but this remains to be verified. In the north, it's back to crust or hard-packed snow.

Otherwise, the distribution of the snowpack remains extremely variable, ranging from 5 to 180 cm. The best snow is to be found below the tree line, but not necessarily the best skiing, as obstacles are always close by.

Weather Summary

Synopsis: Thanks to moderate northwesterly winds and an ice-free St-Lawrence river, we could see a few more snow showers in the coming days.

Wednesday evening and night: Light snow, 3 to 5 cm. Wind northwest, 20 to 40 km/h. Low -16.

Thursday: Cloudy. Light snow. Wind west, 40 to 60 km/h. High -16C.

Friday: Alternating sun and cloud. Light snow possible. Wind northwest, 20 to 40 km/h. Maximum -15C.

Saturday: Cloudy. Wind north, 10 to 25 km/h. High -8.

For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.

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.