Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Mar 23 – 24, 2015Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Expect the sun to have a lot of influence with the high daytime freezing levels.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Recent snowfall with moderate winds and rapid settlement from continued warm temperatures will create soft slabs and windslabs in lee features in the alpine and at treeline.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Expect the sun to have a lot of power when it makes an appearance. Rising freezing levels make a solar trigger much more likely.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3
    Large cornices or surface avalanches are the likely trigger.

Weather Forecast

Despite Environment Canada's forecast for Jasper, there is likely only 5cm of snow forecast for the next several days.  Skies should be broken, with lots of solar effect whenever the sun breaks through. Winds should remain light to moderate, westerly or southwesterly. Freezing levels will be treeline elevation reaching Alpine on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of new snow has fallen in the last 2 days with moderate SW winds at and above treeline. This new snow lies on a variety of surfaces from windscoured locations in the Alpine to melt freeze crusts below treeline and a combination of  well-settled snow and crusts in between; mostly depending on the amount of solar exposure of the slope.

Avalanche Summary

1 size 2 slab avalanche near Big Bend on 93S was noted where wind loading and/or rising freezing levels triggered a 70m wide slab from a steep Northeast slope at 2300m. Recent snow and winds had mostly smoothed out the fracture line, and much of the scoured Alpine has a deceptively camouflaged white cover.

Confidence

Freezing levels are uncertain

Regions covered