Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 1st, 2020 8:00AM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
chris gooliaff,
Parks Canada
If there is a rise in wind and/or temperature today, danger ratings will bump up rapidly. Be observant of any changes in the weather!!
Summary
Weather Forecast
Today, flurries will continue dropping another 5-10cm. Two things to watch for are rising temps and increasing winds. Freezing levels may rise to 1500m, while W'ly winds will increase to mod/strong. Thurs brings cold temps, flurries, and mod W winds. Another storm rolls in Fri/Sat, bringing 25-30cm and strong SW winds.
Snowpack Summary
40-50cm of snow now sits on the Dec 27th surface hoar. Previous Mod to Strong S-SW winds redistributed the new snow on lee features in the Alpine and exposed areas of Tree Line. The mid and lower snowpack has been settling and gaining strength; however, the Dec 11th surface hoar (5-12mm) still persists down 100-140cm.
Avalanche Summary
Several natural avalanches to sz 2 were observed from the highway yesterday, all occurring on steep, N-facing terrain.
Confidence
Problems
Storm Slabs
As the new snow forms a cohesive slab on top of the Dec 27th surface hoar, expect to see reactive slabs pulling back onto lower angled terrain.
- Use conservative route selection, stick to supported terrain features, avoid overhead hazards.
- Be aware of the potential for large, deep avalanches due to the presence of buried surface hoar.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
The surface hoar layer down a meter is still preserved in some areas and human triggering remains possible. Due to the depth of this layer, the resulting avalanche would be large.
- Be aware of the potential for large, deep avalanches due to the presence of buried surface hoar.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 2nd, 2020 8:00AM
