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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 6th, 2023–Feb 7th, 2023

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

Chic-Choc Mountains.

The upper layers of the snowpack differ greatly from one mountain and feature to another, leading to isolated problems.

Don't let familiarity lower your guard, and keep assessing for signs of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Evidence of a wind slab avalanche that occurred in the past 48 hours was observed on the Albert.

Thanks for contributing to the collection of this valuable data by sharing with other users on the Mountain Information Network or by writing to us directly at [email protected].

Snowpack Summary

The extreme winds have left a great deal of surfaces. In the alpine, at treeline and on exposed terrain below treeline, some areas are back to the January 18th crust, while on the lees, more than a 100 cm of wind pressed snow covers it. The crust continues to deteriorate at and below treeline, and this band of elevation keeps offering the best skiing, where 30 to 40 cm of lower density snow overlies the decomposing crust. In general, the height of the snowpack goes from 70 to 90 cm in the valley to 100 to 150 cm at mid-mountain.

Weather Summary

Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.

Synopsis: A ridge of high pressure is building over the Chic-Chocs. A cold front will move on Tuesday with chilly winds. Watch for an inversion late Tuesday afternoon, as temperatures will approach zero at higher elevations.

Monday evening and night: Mostly clear. Trace of snow. Winds around 35 km/h, gusting up to 55 km/h from the northwest. Min. -16C. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Tuesday: Sunny, no precipitations. Winds from 60 to 70 km/h from the southwest. Max. -10C in the valley and -2C at higher elevations.

Wednesday: Cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. Winds from 50 km/h, gusting to 80 km/h from the west. Max. -7C

Thursday: Mostly clear with no precipitations. Wind northwest 80 km/h to 50 km/h. Max. -15C.

For more details, check the Alpine Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.