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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 22nd, 2020–Mar 23rd, 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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Conservative choices are a must, don't push it and don't go for it. The current health care system is under enough stress due to COVID19 pandemic. Mostly cloudy with light flurries on Monday.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Monday is forecast for mostly a cloudy sky with sunny breaks with up to 3cm of snow. The hight temperature will be -3c in the alpine along with strong SW winds. Freezing level is expected to be valley bottom.

Snow is expected to start late Tuesday with upwards of 10-15cm of snow.

Avalanche Summary

Numerous dry loose stuffs have been observed up to size 1.5, mostly on steeper terrain.

Snowpack Summary

5cm of snow that fell Saturday has sluffed in steeper terrain and has probably become moist to some degree on solar aspects. Polar aspects have remained dry. Sunday's strong westerly flow in the alpine has created some slabbing, especially in lee areas. Expect to find crusts on solar aspects. Thin weak areas are the key places to be mindful of and the potential to awaken the basal layers. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid convexities, steep unsupported terrain and rocky outcroppings.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of a deep persistent slab.
  • Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.

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.