Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Mar 15 – 16, 2014Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Up to 30cm of new snow is forecast to fall with strong westerly winds.  Watch for increasing avalanche danger throughout the day on Sunday.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–4
    New wind slabs will build with the incoming storm.  Carefully evaluate the bond with the new snow and the underlying surface.  The previous windslabs that developed earlier in the week will be hard to see under the new snow so use caution.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–5
    This persistent weak layer is buried 70 to 100cm in Alpine and Treeline areas and is sensitive to human triggering.

Confidence

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Sunday

Weather Forecast

A system is expected to cross over the region tonight and into the day tomorrow.  Up to 30cm of new snow is forecast to fall with strong westerly winds. 

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanche activity. 

Snowpack Summary

Not much change over the course of the day today.  Melt freeze crusts on solar aspects to the peaks, and widespread temperatures crusts below 1900m.  Most alpine terrain is wind affected with widespread wind slabs and isolated wind slabs at treeline.  The 0211 interface is down 70-100cm at treeline and continues to produce moderate to hard shears that are sudden planar in nature.

Regions covered