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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 21st, 2015–Mar 22nd, 2015

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Olympics.

There may be some shallow storm and wind slab above treeline Sunday. Any new snow that does fall will be susceptible to sunbreaks later Sunday afternoon, so use extra caution on steeper solar slopes near and above treeline. 

Detailed Forecast

A frontal system will bring renewed light rain and snow to the Olympics Sunday followed by showers Sunday afternoon. Increasing southerly ridge top winds may build new wind slabs on lee slopes, mainly northerly facing near and above treeline. 

Any new snow that does fall will be susceptible to sunbreaks later Sunday afternoon, so use extra caution on steeper solar slopes above treeline. 

Due to the low snowpack, especially below treeline, watch for terrain hazards such as open creeks, partially covered rocks and vegetation. Many areas below treeline do not have enough snow to cause an avalanche danger.

Snowpack Discussion

Last Sunday winter returned with a welcome 16-18 inches of new snow at the NWAC Hurricane Ridge station. A frontal boundary stalled over southern British Columbia brought occasional light rainfall to Hurricane Ridge on Thursday and Friday with the snowline likely extending above 6000 feet. Rainfall and mild temperatures late in the week helped stabilize and consolidate the briefly resurgent snowpack. However, webcams at Hurricane Ridge Friday and Saturday show the effects of the warming and rain this week with bare patches returning.

A few inches of new snow Friday and Saturday along with moderate winds may have built some small cornices along ridges and transported snow to build some small wind slabs on lee slopes.   

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.