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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2015–Mar 6th, 2015

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Columbia.

There may be another light dusting of snow, with small wind slabs forming, but really there is little change to speak of.

Confidence

Good - The weather pattern is stable

Weather Forecast

Friday: A mix of sun and cloud with a slight chance of flurries. The freezing level is around 1800-2000 m and ridge winds are light or moderate from the W. Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud. The freezing level remains near 1800 m and winds ease to light. Sunday: Mainly sunny. The freezing level jumps to a little over 2000 m and wind could rise to moderate SW by the end of the day.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday there were reports of several small (size 1-1.5) skier-triggered wind slab avalanches in exposed alpine terrain and loose snow sluffing in steep terrain. There were also two reports of size 2 natural slab avalanches on steep solar aspects, likely resulting from recent wind loading.

Snowpack Summary

Variable recent storm snow totals across the region are generally in the 5-25 cm range. The snow surface varies with elevation and aspect with respect to sun and wind exposure, and includes dry new snow, loose facetted snow, wind slabs, and sun crusts. The mid-February crust is down around 10-30 cm where it isn't wind loaded or scoured. The late-Jan crust/surface hoar layer (up to 100 cm deep) and the mid-January surface hoar (80-120 cm deep) are generally dormant, and chances of triggering these weaknesses have decreased. However, triggering may be possible with a large input such as cornice fall, or an avalanche stepping down, especially on slopes that see a lot of sun.

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.