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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 8th, 2023–Feb 9th, 2023

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

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains.

Remember that even with a low danger rating, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche.

Although isolated, avalanche problems are still present and deserve to be assessed before committing to a challenging descent.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche has been observed or reported in the last 24 hours.

Thanks for contributing to the collection of this valuable data by sharing with other users on the Mountain Information Network or by writing to us directly at [email protected].

Snowpack Summary

5 to 10 cm of low density snow covers the various surfaces created by the extreme winds from the last weekend. In the alpine, at treeline and on open areas below treeline, these few centimetres overlies the January 18th crust, while in wind loaded areas, over 100 cm of compacted snow can be found on top of it.

Below the treeline, 35 to 45 cm of wind-pressed snow was found on top of the decomposing crust.In general, the height of the snowpack goes from 70 to 90 cm in the valley to 100 to 150 cm at mid-mountain.

Weather Summary

Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.

Synopsis: A ridge of high pressure will bring nice, but cold weather, on Thursday, followed by a low pressure that will leave several centimetres of snow on the Chic-Chocs.

Wednesday night and overnight: Mostly clear. Trace of snow. Winds from the northwest from 50 to 70 km/h. Min. -18C.

Thursday: Sunny, no precipitations. Winds from the northwest around 30 km/h with gusting up to 70 km/h. Max. -13C.

Friday: Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. Winds from the south around 50 km/h with gusting up to 80 km/h. Max. -8C.

Saturday: Cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. Winds from the northwest from 45 to 50 km/h. Max. -20C.

For more details, check the Alpine Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.

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.