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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 16th, 2022–Mar 17th, 2022

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

A few cms of new snow every few days over the past week has added up to 40cm at treeline. Watch for new windslabs in alpine terrain that have developed from SW winds and warmer temperatures. 

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Thursday looks like a carbon copy of Wednesday right now! Winds will be 40-50km/hr out of the SW with temperatures reaching -5C by mid day. We may see a few cm's of snow via convective flurries throughout the day but accumulations are not expected to be significant. 

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Wednesday. 

Snowpack Summary

Another 10-15cm of snow fell overnight by Wednesday morning bringing out recent snowfall totals up to 40cm. This snow is settling under the influence of the warmer temperatures and moderate SW winds building new windslabs in open terrain at treeline and above. Forecasters were finding these windslabs felt "cakey" along ridgelines in alpine terrain but did not extend far downslope. As winds continue, we expect these slabs to continue to develop so keep an eye on localized winds. On solar aspects a crust is down 40-50cm and has been a critical layer to evaluate in the snowpack. The strength at this interface has been improving but its still important to dig down and evaluate as you travel. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.