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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 13th, 2020–Feb 14th, 2020

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

Regions

South Coast.

Watch for wind loaded pockets below ridge crests and steep roll-overs. Fresh wind slabs may be sensitive to human triggering.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Thursday night: Up to 10 cm new snow. Winds moderate west to northwest. Freezing level 900 m.

Friday: Mix of sun and cloud. Winds moderate northwest. Freezing level 1000 m.

Saturday: Up to 10 cm new snow. Winds strong southwest. Freezing level around 1000 m.

Sunday: Flurries. Winds strong southwest. Freezing level around 800 m.

Avalanche Summary

A small skier triggered slab avalanche on the rain crust was reported on Saturday (see this MIN report). The bond at this interface appears to be strengthening over time.

Snowpack Summary

Around 20 cm of recent storm snow sits over wind affected surfaces in the alpine and dense, well-settled snow at lower elevations. A thick rain crust sits 40-50 cm below the surface. The snowpack below consists of moist to wet snow and is well settled. Snowpack depths are in the range of 200-250 cm around the peaks of the North Shore mountains (1400 m), tapering quickly with elevation to almost nothing below 1000 m.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.

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.