Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Jan 24 – 25, 2014Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Check out the latest blog post on deep persistent slab problems.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Generally small, slow, and often limited to extreme cliffy terrain; however, these dense avalanches can easily knock you off your feet and take you for a ride.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    4–7
    Basal facets, buried surface hoar, and glide avalanches are all expected to become more sensitive to triggering with warm temperatures and solar radiation. Although tricky to pinpoint when and where they might occur, the consequences could be severe.

Weather Forecast

Saturday: Sunny with cloudy periods and valley fog likely. Light winds. Freezing level reaching 3500 m with alpine temperatures close to +10 C, but cooler in valley bottoms. Sunday: Sunny with cloudy periods. Light winds. Freezing level reaching 2500 m with alpine temperatures close to +5 C, but cooler in valley bottoms. Monday: Sunny with cloudy periods. Light northerly winds. Freezing level dropping to 700 m.

Avalanche Summary

Recent reports natural loose wet avalanches up to Size 2.5 in steep rocky sun-exposed terrain in the afternoon. A Size 3 natural glide avalanche was also reported.

Snowpack Summary

The surface snow is likely undergoing a melt-freeze cycle on all but high elevation shady aspects, while the entire snowpack may even be trending isothermal at lower elevations. On shady aspects, over 20cm of recent storm snow (more on wind-loaded slopes) is settling and bonding well to the previous snow surface, which includes a crust up to treeline elevations. Well preserved surface hoar may be found buried in the upper snowpack on sheltered treeline slopes and below, and has been most active in the northern parts of the region between 900m and 1400m elevation. A well settled mid and lower snowpack may rest on basal facets, especially in thin snowpack areas at higher elevations.

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