Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Mar 30 – 31, 2015Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

We are expecting things to cool down and some new snow over the next while. The cooler temps will lock the lower elevation snowpack in place.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    immediate lee areas in steep terrain may have a windslab problem.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    No recovery is expected tonight. The snowpack will remain wet and bottomless until a significant freeze kicks in. Steeper angles are a potential problem as loose wet avalanches are more likely.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–5
    This layer will become more reactive as the warm air digs deeper into the snowpack.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Freezing level tomorrow will rise to 2200m by mid afternoon. After that we are expecting a cooling trend with freezing levels to fall to 1500m. Winds will be mostly strong, but gusting to extreme in isolated areas. Mostly sunny skies will keep the new snow to a minimum.

Avalanche Summary

Loose wet cycles continue below treeline.

Snowpack Summary

Extended warmth has made the entire snowpack isothermal below treeline. Treeline has a similar situation except for 2200-2300m in true north aspects where the heat hasn't completely cooked the snowpack. The alpine has had significant freeze/thaw cycles on all aspects except true north. The deeper layers likely remain untouched by the warm air and are still considered a winter snowpack.

Regions covered