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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 23rd, 2022–Mar 24th, 2022

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

Keep an eye on surface conditions throughout the day. Minimize your exposure to slopes with wet and heavy snow or where the surface crust begins to break down.

Watch for pockets of wind affected snow in the alpine.

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast We are confident about the possible sizes of avalanches, should one release; what is less certain is the likelihood of triggering.

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Skies clear overnight with light westerly winds turning easterly. Freezing levels fall to 500 m. 

THURSDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with light to moderate southerly winds. Freezing levels reach 1500 m. 

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Moderate southerly winds and freezing levels around 1500 m.

SATURDAY: Light to moderate snowfall overnight and throughout the day, freezing levels around 1500 m. Moderate to strong southerly winds.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, loose wet avalanches were reported on all aspects and elevations affected by warm temperatures.

On Monday a natural cornice fall triggered a size three slab avalanche on the slope below. This avalanche was triggered at 1800 m on a northeast aspect, it ran full path. Several other cornice falls were reported throughout the region. Ski cutting and explosive control produced storm and wind slab avalanches up to size two.

Snowpack Summary

As temperatures drop, a melt freeze crust will extend into the alpine on all aspects. Expect moist snow at low elevations below the freezing line, and on south facing slopes as the sun comes out. 

Dry snow can be found above 2000-2500 m, likely redistributed by strong southerly winds into wind loaded features on north/east facing slopes. 

40 to 90 cm overlies the mid March interfaces. This layer exists as surface hoar in shady, wind-sheltered areas and a hard crust on sun-exposed slopes into the alpine. Recent reports suggest these layers are bonding well and avalanche activity is unlikely from anything but very large loads. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.