Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Jan 15 – 19, 2013Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 14 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Watch for inversion conditions over the next few days. Remember that slopes above you may be warmer than what you can feel. Warming could make the persistent slab problem reactive. Be wary of sheltered locations that may hold buried surface hoar.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    W and NW winds have been creating slabs near ridge lines over the past few days. A few natural avalanches have been seen that are 10-30cm deep. Feel for changes in the upper snow pack as you enter open areas. A small slab may trigger a deeper one.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Jan 5 interface in sheltered locations where preserved surface hoar can be found down 50 to 90 cm. Dig down often to identify this layer and avoid steep or unsupported slopes where surface hoar is present. Triggering this layer would be serious.

Weather Forecast

Warm air is expected to move in above the current cold air early Tuesday. The resulting inversion conditions may bring temperatures above freezing at upper elevations. When combined with solar radiation if the skys are clear, this could have a radical effect on the snowpack with windslabs and some lurking persistent slab problems.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5cm HN with Strong NW winds creating windslabs near exposed ridge crests. 30-40cm low denisty snow is sitting on a 20-40 cm slab over the Jan 5 interface. Moderate Sudden Planar test results can be found on preserved surface hoar at this interface in isolated, sheltered locations. There is a high degree of variability with this layer.

Avalanche Summary

A few surface windslabs have been observed in the past 3 days sizes 2 to 2.5. These have been in steep terrain near ridge crests or below extreme terrain. Cornice failures, wind loading, and sluffs have served as the triggers. No activity has been seen on the Jan 5 persistent slab: its spotty nature and the cold snow have kept things quiet for now.

Confidence

Freezing levels are uncertain

Regions covered