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

Mar 7th, 2022–Mar 8th, 2022

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

Regions

Yukon.

It's going to be a sunny and cool day! Wind slabs that were formed by strong to extreme wind from the south, west and northwest on Sunday might still be reactive to human triggers. 

Confidence

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

Weather Forecast

Monday night: Clear with cloudy periods, moderate northeast wind, alpine low -12 °C, freezing level at valley bottom.

Tuesday: Sunny, moderate northeast wind, alpine high -9 °C, freezing level at valley bottom. 

Wednesday: Mix of sun and clouds, trace of new snow, strong southwest wind, alpine high -8 °C, freezing level at valley bottom.

Thursday: Mainly cloudy, up to 4 cm snow, extreme south wind, alpine high -7 °C, freezing level at valley bottom.

Avalanche Summary

Skiers were surprised by wind slab avalanches on north and northeast aspects in the White Pass area on Friday. The slabs were about 20 cm thick and the avalanches reached up to size 2. Slabs were still reactive to skier traffic on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

30-40 cm of recent snow are sitting on old firm surfaces. Strong wind from the south and west transported the snow and formed wind slabs on Sunday. The bond between the recent snow and the old firm surfaces was reactive to skier traffic in the last few days. On steep, south aspects at treeline and below, there is potential for the existence of a thin sun crust. 

The lower snowpack is well bridged by the layers above, and it is unlikely that avalanches will be triggered on weak, sugary crystals near the ground at this time. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Be aware of highly variable recent wind loading patterns.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Caution around slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.

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.