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

Dec 9th, 2019–Dec 10th, 2019

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

Regions

South Coast Inland.

Triggering wind slab avalanches might be possible in the alpine. Watch out for signs of instability as you approach avalanche terrain.

Confidence

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

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear period, light wind from the southwest, alpine temperatures around +4 C, freezing level at 2500 m with a temperature inversion.

TUESDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries, 40 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -1 C, freezing level lowering to 1200 m.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with flurries, 60 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -4 C, freezing level at 900 m.

THURSDAY: Cloudy, 10-20 cm of snow, 40 km/h wind from the southwest, alpine high temperatures around -3 C, freezing level at 1000 m.

Avalanche Summary

Minimal avalanche activity has been reported over the past week. Some parts of the region may have received enough new snow with the recent storm to form slabs at higher elevations. The greatest concern is in wind affected terrain and where the storm snow sits on smooth surfaces (such as glaciers, rock slabs, and areas that already have enough snow to cover rocks and shrubs).

Snowpack Summary

The recent storm snow totals to about 25 cm for most parts of the region. The snow layers underneath are a mix of hard crusts and facet/crust layers. Snowpack depths remain quite thin throughout the region. Current snowpack depths are around 70 cm at upper treeline elevations, with many rocks and trees sticking out at lower elevations. In the alpine you can find slightly deeper areas where wind has formed hard wind slabs. Below treeline terrain is below the threshold for avalanches.

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.