Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Mar 18 – 19, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

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

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Touchy wind slabs may be lurking behind ridges and ribs on a variety of slopes.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–6
    A weakness buried up to 120 cm deep may still be within the realms of triggering, especially with a very heavy load, from a thin-spot trigger point and/or at high elevations.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Be wary of travelling on or below steep slopes which are being warmed by direct sun. Storm snow may fail naturally with the influence of solar radiation.

Confidence

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Tuesday

Weather Forecast

Monday night: Light snow. Moderate NW winds. Alpine temperature near -15.Tuesday: No snow. Sunshine. Moderate SW winds. Alpine temperature near -10.Wednesday: Moderate to heavy snow (15-25 cm). Strong to extreme SW winds. Alpine temperature near -4.Thursday: Light snow. Light SW winds. Alpine temperature near -10.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, skiers triggered several small soft slabs and sluffs on wind-loaded or steep terrain. On Sunday, a natural cycle to size 2.5 was observed in the Bugaboos on a variety of aspects in the alpine.

Snowpack Summary

New snow was shifted into reactive slabs by strong SW-NE winds on Monday. Deep and cohesive storm slabs which formed last week are slowly gaining strength, but are not yet fully settled. A weak layer of surface hoar and/or a crust sits about 50-120 cm below the surface. It’s of most concern in the alpine. (At low elevations, it’s likely to be difficult to trigger underneath a supportive crust). This layer will probably linger, with ‘low probability/ high consequence’ type character. A facet/crust layer sits at the base of the snowpack in some places.

Regions covered