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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 14th, 2022–Apr 15th, 2022

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

Lizard-Flathead.

Large cornices may fail under the weight of a human. Give them a wide berth when travelling on ridges and watch for signs that they may be weakening with extended sun exposure.

Check out this new blog if you are planning bigger objectives this weekend. 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

Thursday night: Partly cloudy, light east wind, treeline low around -15 °C.

Friday: A mix of sun and cloud, light variable wind, treeline high around -6 °C.

Saturday: Mainly sunny in the morning, a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon, light east wind, treeline high around -3 °C.

Sunday: Mainly cloudy with flurries and sunny breaks, light to moderate west wind, treeline high around -2 °C.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Wednesday. 

Observations are limited this time of year. If you are getting out in the backcountry, please consider contributing to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of snow sits over a widespread melt-freeze crust which formed during the major warming event on April 8. Periods of strong wind from the northeast through southeast on Monday and Tuesday have redistributed the recent snowfall in exposed high elevation terrain forming wind slabs which are now expected to have stabilized in most areas. Cornices have likely grown large recently but are expected to be relatively stable with the current cold temperatures. A new sun crust may now be forming on steep sun-exposed slopes. 

Multiple crusts exist in the upper snowpack which are currently considered stable and well bonded with the ongoing cold conditions. The middle and lower snowpack are currently well settled and strong.

Terrain and Travel

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.