Avalanche forecast

Cariboos

Mar 21 – 22, 2013Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 14 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate

Highlights

Periods of strong solar radiation may weaken and release storm slabs on Southerly aspects where a buried crust may act as a good sliding surface. Cornices may also fall off due to solar warming.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–6
    The new load of storm snow may trigger the buried weak layer of surface hoar from March 10th that is now down about 100 cms. Large loads like cornice fall are expected to continue to trigger this layer.
  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Storm slabs and pockets of wind transported snow may take a few days to settle and bond. Periods of strong solar radiation may trigger the storm slab where it is sitting on a buried crust.

Confidence

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Friday

Weather Forecast

Overnight and Friday: Unsettled convective weather is forecast to bring a few more cms of snow overnight and during the day. Amounts may be slightly enhanced in some of the up-slope areas. Alpine temperatures should drop to -14.0 overnight and the freezing level is expected to rise to about 900 metres during the day. Moderate West winds should become light Northerly with moderate gusts. Saturday: A ridge of High pressure is slowly moving into the interior regions from the coast. Cloudy conditions in the morning should clear gradually during the day. There is a chance of a few flurries in the morning. Freezing levels are expected to rise to 1000 metres under clearing skies. Sunday: The ridge of High pressure is expected to continue to bring mostly clear skies and light Northerly winds to the interior ranges. Overnight alpine temperatures are forecast to be about -13.0 with the freezing level rising to 900 metres during the day. Periods of strong solar radiation are expected.

Avalanche Summary

No new reports of avalanches. Poor visibility and travel conditions limited observations.

Snowpack Summary

There is close to a metre of storm snow that has fallen in the last few days. This storm slab is sitting above variable surfaces that include crusts and moist layers that were deposited during the wet (Pineapple Express) storm last week. Periods of strong winds in the alpine transported the storm snow into thick pockets of wind slab that may take several days to settle and bond to the old surface. Cornice growth has been reported to be extensive and weakly bonded. Natural cornice falls are a concern, especially if we see periods of strong solar radiation. Cornice falls or storm slabs in motion may step down to the weak layer of buried surface hoar from March 10th.

Regions covered