Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 21st, 2015–Jan 22nd, 2015

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Whumphing today on Mt. Field indicates the persistent layer is still reactive in open areas below treeline. The distribution of this weak layer is difficult to track, so use caution when committing to steeper terrain. Great skiing out there!

Weather Forecast

Thursday and Friday look to be similar to the last few days - mild temperatures, light winds and scattered clouds. Friday afternoon, we should see increased winds from the West and 15-20 cm's overnight with freezing levels rising to ~1500m.

Snowpack Summary

The snowpack in the Emerald Lake and Mt Field area is about 130cm deep, with the main weakness being the Dec 18 surface hoar down 50 cm. This layer continues to produce moderate to hard results, but the layer is not found in all areas. We suspect some bonding is occurring with this layer, but remain careful. Buried windslabs exist in alpine areas.

Avalanche Summary

No natural avalanches observed, but forecasters on Mt. Field today experienced a large whumph in an open area at 1850m indicating the deeper layers are still reactive to human triggering in some areas.

Confidence

Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday

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.