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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

May 1st, 2019–May 2nd, 2019

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Localized snow amount may very at higher elevations. Deeper areas could develop larger then expected wind slabs.

Weather Forecast

Daily convective buildup is forecasted for the remainder of the week. Mornings will likely have more stable weather and as the day progresses expect to see small storm cells roll through bringing wind and precipe. We should see a warming trend into the weekend with valley temps reaching plus ten by Friday.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 15cm of new snow redistributed at ridge top by moderate winds have likely loaded immediate lees. Previous windslab is still visible through much of the alpine. Cooler temps have faceted in the upper snowpack creating a persistent problem where the new snow overlays previous crusts. Be cautious in areas where newly form slab overlays a crust.

Avalanche Summary

Loose dry activity was visible through much of the forecast region out of steep alpine features. These small avalanches appeared to be initiated by the wind, entraining newly accumulated storm snow. Tuesday our field team observed two large avalanches in the Observation Peak area, these avalanches where triggered on the persistent problem.

Confidence

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.

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.