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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 4th, 2023–Feb 5th, 2023

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

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains.

The wind will abate for Sunday BUT NOT the probability of triggering freshly formed wind slabs.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No observations could be made in the last few days by our team due to bad weather. No new avalanche was reported since Thursday.

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

About 15 to 20 cm of storm snow has been added since Thursday evening to the 15 to 20 cm of very light snow already present on the January 18 crust or on a slightly denser layer covering the latter. With the extreme westerly wind that blew for 2 days, a good part of this snow was moved into the alpine and at treeline forming new wind slabs. A great deal of spatial variability is thus present in the alpine and at the treeline, from windy slabs to wind-affected snow or to ice or rock. Facets are developing over the January 18 crust and have demonstrated some weaknesses in our tests.In general, the height of the snowpack varies 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 weak low pressure system moving in from the north will pass over the area on Sunday followed by a high pressure system on Monday and Tuesday.

Saturday night and overnight: Light snow showers. Extreme northwest wind diminishing to 20 to 40 km/h late in the night. Low -29.

Sunday: Light intermittent snow beginning in the afternoon (1 to 2 cm). Wind southwest 25 to 50 kph. High -16.

Monday: Alternating sun and clouds. Wind northwest 15 to 30 kph. High -14.

Tuesday: Sunny. Wind southeast 30 to 50 kph. High -12.

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.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.