Avalanche forecast

Lizard-Flathead

Feb 3 – 4, 2019Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Wind slabs may linger with the cold temperature. If triggered, they have the potential to step down to a buried weak layer.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Recent snow above 1600 m has been redeposited with southwest winds that switched to northeast winds. The touchiest deposits will be in lee terrain depressions, particularly near ridges.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3
    The recent storm snow is loading a weak layer of surface hoar or a crust. The surface hoar is likely best preserved in shaded and sheltered areas between 1600 m and 1900 m. The crust exists on southerly aspects at all elevations.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

SUNDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation trace to 5 cm, alpine temperature -24 C.MONDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall and afternoon clearing, accumulation trace to 5 cm, light northeast wind, alpine temperature -20 C.TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy with intermittent snowfall, light north wind, alpine temperature -20 C.WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy, light west wind, alpine temperature -18 C.

Avalanche Summary

Many large storm slab avalanches were triggered naturally, by skiers, and by explosives on Saturday. The avalanches likely released at the base of the storm snow as well as within the weak layer of surface hoar buried mid-January described in the Snowpack Summary.

Snowpack Summary

Around 60 mm of precipitation fell on Friday with a freezing level at 1600 m. Above 1600 m, the precipitation fell as snow, which has been redistributed by northwest winds. It may sit on weak and feathery surface hoar crystals in shaded and sheltered areas. Below 1600 m, the precipitation fell as rain and froze into a melt-freeze crust.The mid-January layer of surface hoar or a crust is buried around 40 to 60 cm. The surface hoar is found on shaded and sheltered slopes and is most prominent between 1600 m and 1900 m. The melt-freeze crust is found on south aspects at all elevations.The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled. Thin snowpack areas, such as in the east of the region, may find weak and sugary faceted grains near the base of the snowpack.

Regions covered