Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Mar 21 – 22, 2015Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Sunny periods and daytime heating will increase the hazard on solar aspects. Wind slabs are still a concern in lee and cross-loaded terrain at higher elevations.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–4
    Watch for wind slabs in lee and cross-loaded terrain in the alpine and isolated areas at treeline.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–5
    The weak basal layers persist. Steep and shallow snowpack areas remain a concern for triggering.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Strong west winds tonight will taper off for Sunday with a SW flow at 30 km/h. A mix of sun and cloud is expected with temperatures near -3 at ridgetop. Freezing levels are forecast for 1900m. Monday could see a fairly significant snowfall, but that is still uncertain.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new was observed today, but observation were limited.

Snowpack Summary

The snowpack at lower elevations is not getting much (if any) refreeze overnight due to warm temperatures and light rain making travel tedious, especially where the snowpack has gone isothermal. Crusts are present on solar aspects all the way to mountaintop, and these crusts are breaking down each day depending on solar input and daytime heating. However, classic spring-time "corn snow" is not being observed yet. Wind slabs can be found on lee and cross-loaded terrain in the alpine and treeline. The weak basal layers remain a concern, particularly in shallow snowpack areas.

Regions covered