Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Feb 11th, 2012 7:54AM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs.

Avalanche Canada jfloyer, Avalanche Canada

Summary

Confidence

Good - -1

Weather Forecast

Saturday night: very light precipitation with 1-3 mm expected. Freezing level around 700 m. Strong southwesterly winds. Sunday: Winds veering to moderate northwesterly. Lingering flurries in the morning, later becoming dry as a high pressure ridge builds. Freezing level around 700 m. Monday: Dry and sunny. Light winds. Freezing level at valley bottom. Tuesday: another weak frontal system will bring light precipitation and moderate southwesterly winds.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported.

Snowpack Summary

A very light skiff of snow may have buried a surface hoar layer that lies on top of old surfaces comprising crusts and old wind slab. However, with only a centimetre or so of new snow, it's not certain that surface hoar crystals of 5 mm or more would get properly buried. Successive melt-freeze cycles have produced crusts on all aspects at lower elevations as well as on south-facing slopes higher up. The old wind slabs are no longer causing concern in most areas. A facet layer, which formed around 20th January, is buried around 60 cm and is reported to be gaining strength. It showed hard, resistant planar results in a compression test at treeline in the Hankin area on Sunday.

Problems

Wind Slabs

An icon showing Wind Slabs
Isolated new wind slabs are developing in the lee of exposed terrain features.

Aspects: North, North East, East.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 3

Valid until: Feb 12th, 2012 3:00AM

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