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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 13th, 2017–Mar 14th, 2017

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Temperatures reached 5-10 degrees above zero in Field on Sunday and Monday. Continued warm temperatures and high freezing levels this week will make ice climbing in Field a delicate choice. If you go, go early and be done by noon.

Weather Forecast

A SW flow continues across BC and Alberta bringing continues precipitation and warm temperatures this week. Expect another 5cm on Tuesday, but up to 20cm by the end of the week. Temperatures on Tuesday will reach 0 degrees at treeline with freezing levels extending upwards to 2000m. Moderate winds overnight on Monday will calm down for Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

10cm of soft surface snow became moist on Monday afternoon at lower elevations. This overlies a 40cm settled slab that produces sudden planar shears and is the main concern in the upper snowpack, particularly where the winds have effected the surface snow and created a stiffer windslab.

Avalanche Summary

No observations from the Little Yoho or Field area today, but a trip to Mt. Cathedral did not observe any avalanche activity (poor visibility). East of here, a size 2.5 windslab ran over the ice climb Rogan's Gully near Banff. Local ski areas are reporting thin windslabs formed from overnight winds on Sunday night.

Confidence

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.