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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 27th, 2020–Mar 28th, 2020

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

South Rockies.

Steady winds continue to redistribute loose snow, the trend will continue as flurries accumulate through the weekend.

Confidence

Low - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

Friday night: Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace to 5 cm. Alpine low temperature -7 C. Moderate west wind. Freezing level 1500 m.

Saturday: Cloudy with scattered flurries, trace to 5 cm. Alpine high temperature -2 C. Moderate southwest wind. Freezing level 1700 m.

Sunday: Cloudy with scattered flurries, trace to 5 cm. Alpine high temperature -1 C. Moderate gusting to strong southwest wind. Freezing level 1800 m.

Monday: Flurries, 5-15 cm. Alpine high temperature -3 C. Moderate gusty southwest wind. Freezing level 1700 m and dropping.

Avalanche Summary

We have very limited field observations at this time. There have be no new avalanches reported in the region.

Snowpack Summary

15-25 cm recent snow is now wind affected and redistributed at treeline and above. A sun crust has formed on steep solar slopes and below treeline. Steady winds continue to impact loose surface snow. 

The recent new snow sits above a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes and on previously wind-affected snow in other areas, so new slabs may take some time to bond to these surfaces. A layer of faceted grains overly a melt-freeze crust from early February. This layer currently sits 40 to 80 cm below the surface. 

The base of the snowpack contains basal facets that are most prominent in shallow, rocky start zones.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.