Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Mar 12 – 13, 2018Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 9 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Highway 93 from Athabasca falls to Saskatchewan Crossing is closed for Avalanche control Monday and Tuesday

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1.5–3
    rising freezing levels and large triggers like cornice failures may wake up deeper slab instabilities

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–2.5
    Shaded aspects and elevations above the freezing level.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–2.5
    solar aspects and elevations below the freezing level

Weather Forecast

Strong high pressure with southern warm air will persist for another 2-3 days bringing rising freezing levels into the alpine and strong sun effect throughout the forecast zone. A small change is expected for later in the week with a return to more seasonable temperatures. Flurries may accompany the change of systems on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

A relatively cold winter created a structurally weak snowpack slowly warming under spring-like temps and strong solar radiation. Settlement and sintering is occurring with warmer temps and melt-freeze crusts are developing on steep solar slopes. Mid and lower snowpack weaknesses persist but are not reacting to shear tests or natural triggers.

Avalanche Summary

Warm temps and rising freezing levels are resulting in loose dry avalanches on shaded slopes and loose wet avalanches on solar slopes to treeline. Avalanches treeline and below are not propagating widely, occurring to size 2, slowing in terrain that levels out or has dense vegetation. Alpine slopes have slab potential and should become more active.

Confidence

The weather pattern is stable

Regions covered