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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2014–Jan 8th, 2014

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

Regions

Northwest Inland.

Confidence

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Thursday

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: Light snowfall / Moderate southwest winds / Freezing level at 1000mThursday:  Light to moderate snowfall arriving late in the day (with heavier amounts possible in the western portion of the region) / Strong to extreme southerly winds / Freezing level at 700mFriday: Light snowfall / Moderate westerly winds / Freezing level at 600m

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches reported.

Snowpack Summary

A recent profile from 1400 metres elevation on a Northwest aspect in the Hankin area shows the height of snow to be about 155 cm.Recent strong winds have created significant wind effect at upper elevations, with sastrugi in open areas and scouring on ridge tops. Stubborn wind slabs are likely to exist in the lee of terrain breaks and in gullies. At mid-treeline elevation and below there seems to be much less wind effect, and significant surface hoar development has been reported.  The snowpack was found to be generally gaining strength with depth until the bottom 20-40cm where weak faceted crystals exist down to the ground.

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.