Avalanche Forecast

Low - Uncertainty is due to limitations in the field data.

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy with flurries bringing trace. Moderate to strong southwest wind. Alpine temperature near -12.

Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Wind easing to light southwest. Alpine high temperature near -12.

Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light variable wind. Alpine high temperature near -15.

Saturday: Increasing cloud. Wind increasing to strong southwest. Alpine high temperature near -12.

Natural storm slab avalanches are likely to have run during an intense period of snowfall on Wednesday morning.

A significant wind event with extreme north winds in the White Pass area on Saturday night, initiated a natural avalanche cycle that closed the south Klondike Highway between Carcross and Skagway.

A dump of 30-40 cm of new snow on Wednesday arrived with moderate southwest wind, likely loading deep pockets of storm slab into lee terrain features at all elevations. The new snow will be especially sensitive to the sun when it comes out Thursday and Friday.

There are no deeper concerns in the snowpack around White Pass. Substantial spatial variability likely still exists in the snowpack around the Tutshi Lake/Paddy Peak area. The terrain here should be assessed on a slope by slope basis, as lingering snowpack weaknesses may still exist. The Wheaton's shallower snowpack is dominated by hard wind slabs overlying sugary facets and depth hoar. It's an untrustworthy snowpack structure that requires conservative terrain selection and diligent travel habits.

• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
• Brief periods of sun could quickly initiate natural avalanche activity.
• Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.
• In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.