Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 24th, 2023–Feb 25th, 2023

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.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains, Littoral, Murdochville.

With spring break just around the corner, there may be more people on the mountain.

If you are going into avalanche terrain, and especially complex and alpine terrain, it is important to have safe travel practices for your safety and the safety of others.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche has been observed or reported in the last 24 hours.

Thanks for contributing to the collection of this valuable data by sharing with other users on the Mountain Information Network or by writing to us directly at [email protected].

Snowpack Summary

In the alpine and at the treeline, the wind has redistributed the available snow, exposing the crust or ice and creating wind slabs of varying density on the leeward slopes and in the laterally loaded areas. All of this rests on a snowpack with a steady increase in density. The January 18 crust is buried under sixty to one hundred centimetres of snow, and facetted grains are still found on its surface.Below 600m, the crust is very crumbly and becomes less and less noticeable with altitude. The best skiing is therefore in places protected from the wind, above 600m, where the snow has been preserved from the weather events of the last few days (thaw and wind). 15 to 20 cm of powdery snow awaits you there, resting on a crumbly crust of varying thickness. In general, the height of the snow cover varies from 70 to 90 cm in the valley to 100 to 150 cm in the middle mountains.

Weather Summary

Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.

Synopsis: Passage of a weak trough, leaving a few flakes on Saturday morning. Weather fine, but cold. Friday evening and night: Partly cloudy. Light snow. Wind northwest, 40 to 60 km/h. Low -27. Saturday: Alternating sun and clouds. Light snow possible in the morning. Wind 30 to 50 km/h from the northwest. Max. -22 C.Sunday: Alternating sun and clouds. Wind 5 to 15 km/h from the southwest. High -14.Monday: Sunny. Wind northwest, 10 to 20 km/h. High -11. For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.

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.