Avalanche forecast

Lizard-Flathead

Jan 1, 2019Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Wind slabs may exist on wind-loaded slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Wind slabs near ridges may appear on all aspects, as winds were first southwest and then switched to northwest, causing "reverse loading" conditions. Triggered slabs could step down to deeper weak layers.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, moderate northwest winds, freezing level below valley bottom.TUESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, moderate to strong northwest winds, alpine temperature -10 C, freezing level below valley bottom.WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, moderate to strong west winds, alpine temperature -10 C, freezing level below valley bottom.THURSDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, moderate to strong southwest winds, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Monday. Storm slabs were reactive on Sunday, releasing both naturally and by explosives. They were generally large (size 2) and on northerly aspects with depths around 30 to 50 cm.

Snowpack Summary

Around 20 cm recent storm snow was accompanied by strong winds that blew first from the southwest and then from the northwest. This new snow covers a weak layer of surface hoar (feathery crystals), which was buried on Boxing day. This layer could be an issue in areas where the wind has blown the snow into drifts. 80 to 130 cm below the surface is an old persistent weak layer that formed in early December. This layer mostly consists of sugary facets with some isolated areas also containing feathery small surface hoar. While professionals are still tracking this layer, it has not been reactive for some time now. Near the bottom of the snowpack lies a mix of crusts and facets that formed in late October/early November. Triggering an avalanche at the base of the snowpack is unlikely at this time, although the most likely place to do so would be from a steep rocky start zone in an area where the snowpack was shallow.

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