Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 26th, 2017 4:06PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
cgarritty,
Avalanche Canada
Keep an eye on the ongoing effects of the wind, especially at higher elevations. Expect instability in wind affected areas.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Monday: A mix of sun and cloud. Winds light to moderate from the southwest. Freezing level to 400 metres with alpine temperatures of -6. Tuesday: Mainly cloudy with periods of snow bringing approximately 10 cm of new snow, beginning in the afternoon. Winds moderate to strong from the southwest. Freezing level to 700 metres with alpine temperatures of -2. Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Periods of snow beginning in the evening. Winds moderate to strong from the southwest. Freezing level to 700 metres with alpine temperatures of -3.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported. Please post your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
About 5-20 cm of new snow from Thursday and Saturday lies on the surface in the region. Recent northerly winds are suspected to have redistributed some of the new snow into wind slabs in lee terrain at higher elevations. Below the new snow, the previous snow surface was a mix of sun crust on solar aspects and surface hoar on shaded aspects. The new snow's bond to these surfaces is beginning to strengthen, with snowpack tests producing resistant and inconsistent results on Saturday on the North Shore. The older storm snow found below the new snow interface is well bonded to the widespread mid-February rain crust, now down around 40-60 cm at higher elevations. The crust itself is supportive and roughly 20cm thick. Below the crust, the snowpack is still moist as a result of heavy rain in mid-February.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Windy conditions will persist but shift to a southwest flow on Monday, leaving us with new wind slabs formed and forming on a wide range of aspects. Increased caution is required in the Hemlock area, where deeper and more recent accumulations exist.
Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.Be cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 27th, 2017 2:00PM
