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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 4th, 2022–Mar 5th, 2022

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

Regions

Northwest Inland.

It'll be a great weekend to be in the mountains with sunshine and warm weather. But this means managing overhead hazard will be very important. Also, continue to be curious about the bond at the mid-February crust layer. 

Confidence

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

Weather Forecast

Friday night: Mainly clear. No precipitation. Light north winds. -10°C

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds. No precipitation. Moderate north wind. A high of -2°C and a low of -8°C. Freezing levels around 1300m

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds. Little precipitation but convective flurries possible . Moderate to strong winds from the north. A high of +2°C and a low of -5°C. Freezing levels rising to 2000m. 

Monday: Mainly clear. No precipitation. Moderate winds from the north. A high of 0°C and a low of -5°C. Freezing levels at 1500m.  

Avalanche Summary

Small loose wet avalanche were still being reported as of Friday afternoon. 

The field team reported 2 slab avalanches that had been triggered by cornices earlier in the week. Check out the MIN here. 

Snowpack Summary

40-60cm of well settled and bonded snow sits above the mid-February crust. Though this layer has not produced avalanche activity, professionals in the area are still treating it with suspicion. I encourage you to do the same. The upper snowpack is moist below 1500m due to warm temperatures. Cornices are looming in alpine areas. 

The lower snowpack is well bridged by the mid-February crust and triggering avalanches below this layer is unlikely at this time. 

Terrain and Travel

  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • Cornices may release remotely when approached.
  • Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.
  • Cornice failure may trigger large avalanches.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.