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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 21st, 2023–Feb 22nd, 2023

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

Regions

North Island.

Northeast winds will redistribute recent storm snow.

Seek sheltered terrain for the best riding but be cautious as new snow may be precariously resting on a crust.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days, but observations are very limited in this area. We suspect natural and human-triggered wind slabs will be likely in the alpine and treeline.

Snowpack Summary

At higher elevations, 20 to 40 cm of recent snowfall has been redistributed by variable winds, scouring windward slopes and depositing wind slabs in lee areas. A crust can be found down 20 to 70 cm that extends to mountain tops on all aspects. Recent reports suggest this crust is bonding poorly to the snow above.

The remainder of the snowpack is consolidated and well-bonded.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy, up to 5 cm accumulation ending early in the evening, winds northeast 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -6 °C and falling.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny with clouds, 3 cm accumulation, winds north 20 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -12 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with the sun breaking through later in the day, 2 to 5 cm accumulation ending in the morning, winds 35 to 40 km/h, treeline temperatures -13 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud, trace accumulation, winds north 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Problems

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.