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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 17th, 2022–Feb 18th, 2022

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

Regions

Yukon.

Snowfall is forecast to intensify on Friday. Fresh wind slabs may become reactive. If you see 20 cm of new snow, treat avalanche danger as CONSIDERABLE in the alpine.

Confidence

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.

Weather Forecast

Thursday night: Flurries 3-5 cm, ridgetop winds moderate west, low of -5.

Friday: Flurries 10-15 cm, ridgetop winds moderate to strong southwest, high of -3.

Saturday: Cloudy with isolated flurries 0-3 cm, ridgetop winds light northwest, high of -5.

Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop winds light northwest, high of -12.

Avalanche Summary

Recent snowfall has been incremental, warm and sticky and seems to be stabilizing as it accumulates. We have received no reports of avalanche activity or signs of instability. If snowfall intensifies on Friday, rapidly developing wind slabs may become reactive.

Snowpack Summary

Around 10 cm of recent snow and strong southerly winds are building fresh wind slabs on lee features. These wind slabs are sitting on a variety of wind affected surfaces and/or a crust that extends up to at least 1200 m on all aspects. Below this, the mid-pack is generally well-settled and strong in most areas.

Weak facets (sugary snow) exist at the base of the snowpack, especially in more shallow snowpack areas further inland.

Terrain and Travel

  • Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 20 cm of new snow.
  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.