Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 29th, 2023–Apr 30th, 2023

Alpine

Below Threshold.

Treeline

Below Threshold.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Below Threshold.

Treeline

Below Threshold.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Below Threshold.

Treeline

Below Threshold.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains, Littoral, Murdochville.

In the spring, remember that the avalanche hazard is variable and the conditions dynamic, but that the Hawaiian shirt hazard is at extreme.

For this last forecast of the season, all that is left to say is we hope you enjoy your day, and make sure you assess your run before you take on those famous committing spring lines!

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche has been observed or reported.

Thanks for contributing to the collection of this valuable data by sharing it with other users on the Mountain Information Network or by writing to us directly at [email protected].

Snowpack Summary

The lack of refreeze in the last few days has greatly affected the snowpack. The much appreciated corn snow is becoming wet snow, saturated in water. The northern aspects should be favoured. The effects of the sun are not felt there, so only the mild temperatures are affecting the snow, thus limiting the consequences. In general, at all altitudes, the melting continues. The northern aspects will once again offer the greatest snow cover.

More and more places are now without snow cover, mainly at and below treeline, where conditions are rather minimal.

The height of the snow cover is about 80 cm at mid-mountain.

Weather Summary

Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.

Synopsis: A major low pressure system west of the Gaspé Peninsula will bring a bit of clouds into this beautiful spring sky.

Saturday night and overnight: Partly cloudy. Light winds from the south. Min. +3C. Freezing level 1700m.

Sunday: Alternating sun and clouds. Winds 15 to 25 km/h from the south. Max +10C. Freezing level 1700m. For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Caution around slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.
As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.