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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 14th, 2022–Mar 15th, 2022

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

An active storm is moving in. Weather models don't agree on snowfall amounts, more snow will equal greater danger ratings.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the timing of the incoming weather system.

Weather Forecast

A little bit of a storm is coming our way. 

Tuesday: 20cm of snow is possible, Day time highs around -3 and light winds out of the SW.

The tail end of the storm temps will drop down to -10.

Its time to start thinking more about freezing levels this time of the year, Tuesday will be around 1700m The spray road is at around 1850m

Avalanche Summary

A road patrol today had limited visibility. Not much new snow at highways levels

Snowpack Summary

Although we are seeing new snow at our weather stations, It is settling just as fast as it is falling with these warm temps. Steady SW winds continue and are redistributing snow in lee and cross loaded features in the Alpine and TL. The Feb 19 layer which is a crust on solar aspects and a hard wind slab on the other aspects is now down about 50-80cm. Take the time to dig and evaluate all of these layers.  

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Be carefull with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.

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.