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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 21st, 2019–Dec 22nd, 2019

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Jasper.

Avoid avalanche terrain at all elevations. Hwy 93N and Maligne Road will remain closed Sunday and potentially into Monday due to avalanche control

Weather Forecast

Precipitation will trail off over Saturday night and temperatures will cool. Expect a clearing trend into Sunday and Monday with very light winds from the West.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 100cm new snow in the last 48 hours with very little wind effect. This overlies wind slab and a variety of weak layers near the ground.

Avalanche Summary

Widespread avalanche activity on all aspects and elevations up to size 3.0. Many dry loose avalanches below treeline and above, numerous storm slab avalanches below treeline and above. Several avalanches stepped down to weaknesses near the ground. Much of the alpine was obscured today but it is expected that many avalanches occurred on all aspects

Confidence

Due to the number of field observations on Sunday

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.