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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 4th, 2022–Mar 5th, 2022

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

Regions

North Rockies.

Enjoy the sunny weather, but remain cautious around steep sun-exposed slopes.

Confidence

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear skies, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures drop to -10 C.

SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures reach -5 C.

SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, treeline temperatures reach -5 C.

MONDAY: Cloudy with scattered flurries bringing 5-10 cm of snow, strong wind from the west, freezing level climbs to 1200 m with treeline temperatures reaching -3 C.

Avalanche Summary

Mild sunny weather has caused several natural wet loose avalanches on south-facing slopes and some cornice failures. There have also been a few small (size 1-1.5) human triggered slabs on north and east facing slopes over the past few days. These slabs have been in the top 20 to 30 cm of recent snow.

Snowpack Summary

Soft snow may be found on sheltered north-facing slopes, but otherwise the surface has a mix of sun crusts on south-facing slopes, wind-affected snow in the alpine, and moist/crusty snow at lower elevations. See the North Rockies field team's recent post from Renshaw for some photos. Other than some possible surface instabilities, the snowpack is strong and bonded.

Terrain and Travel

  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Cornices become weak with daytime heating.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.

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.

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.