Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Feb 1st, 2019 5:18PM

The alpine rating is considerable, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is moderate. Known problems include Storm Slabs.

Avalanche Canada mbender, Avalanche Canada

Recent new snow in the south of the region will require a few days to settle and stabilize. Look for the sky to clear and the temperature to drop significantly this weekend as cold air invades from the north.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY Night: Cloudy with isolated flurries, light to moderate east wind, alpine temperature -20 C.SATURDAY: Mainly sunny, light to moderate east wind, alpine temperature -25 C.SUNDAY: Mainly sunny, strong northeast winds, alpine temperature -25 C.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, moderate northeast wind, alpine temperature -20 C.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, a size 2 loose wet avalanche was observed in steep rocky terrain. On Wednesday, a few small pockets were reactive to skier traffic, with slabs up to 15 cm deep.

Snowpack Summary

20-30 cm of snow fell in the south of the region Thursday evening into Friday. In the high alpine this new snow sits on a wind-affected surface, such as scoured snow on windward slopes and thicker snow deposits in lee terrain features. Below around 1600 m the snow fell on a thick melt-freeze crust . In the south of the region, the remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled.Around Bear Pass and in the north of the region, there is a weak layer of feathery surface hoar crystals about 50 cm deep. This weak layer is likely most prominent in sheltered and shaded areas. Also in the north, a few weak layers may still exist within the middle and lower half of the snowpack. These include another layer of surface hoar around 70 to 100 cm deep and a weak layer of sugary faceted snow around 200 cm deep.

Problems

Storm Slabs

An icon showing Storm Slabs
20-30 cm of recent new snow in the south of the region may continue to be reactive to human triggering.
Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.New snow will require several days to settle and stabilize.Be cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: All elevations.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Feb 2nd, 2019 2:00PM