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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 18th, 2020–Feb 19th, 2020

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, 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.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Highly variable wind slab conditions at upper elevations. Be cautious as you transition into wind prone areas. Solar input will become a factor over the next couple of days.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

A ridge of high pressure dominates the area for the next few days. Daytime highs should reach around -6 with cool mornings. Wednesday will be mostly sunny with light NW winds. Thursday and Friday look much the same.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed today. A few recent cornice failures were observed, but these did not trigger avalanches on the slopes below.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm snow amounts of 15 to 20cm are slowly settling. Despite mainly sunny skies the surface snow stayed dry today, even on steep solar aspects. Highly variable wind effect in the Alpine with soft snow in some areas and significant wind slab formation in others.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rock outcroppings and steep convex terrain where triggering is most likely.
  • Avalanche hazard may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.