Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 5th, 2012–Feb 6th, 2012

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

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.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Inland.

Confidence

Fair - Due to limited field observations

Weather Forecast

Monday-Wednesday: Dry weather. Freezing level dropping to valley floor at nights and rising to around 1000m during the day. Light winds.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported.

Snowpack Summary

Temperatures have been unseasonably warm, leading to moist or wet weak surface snow conditions. Where a re-freeze has occurred, a breakable crust now exists. Recent storm snow appears to bonding. Weaknesses which formed in early and mid-January remain a lingering concern for possible deep avalanches. The likelihood of deep releases has gone down, but they remain possible with the right trigger, like cornice fall, an airborne sled or a step-down avalanche which starts in a shallower layer.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.