Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Jan 8 – 9, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Diligence may be required to maintain conservative decisions in the face of fair weather and decent riding conditions over the weekend.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    2–5
    A persistent weakness buried mid-December is primed for human triggers in specific areas. Watch for signs of instability especially during daytime warming.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    15-30 cm of recent storm snow is settling into a cohesive soft slab that is highly sensitive to human triggers.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Mostly cloudy with a chance of light flurries Friday evening and Saturday, but generally dry for Sunday. Freezing levels remain in valley bottoms for the forecast period, with above freezing alpine temperatures expected for Friday. Winds should remain generally light and variable.

Avalanche Summary

Reports from Wednesday include several explosive triggered persistent slab avalanches up to Size 3, some running on facets near the ground. Numerous natural 40-60 cm thick slab avalanches up to Size 2 were also observed south through west facing treeline and alpine slopes in response to sun-exposure.

Snowpack Summary

There is a great deal of variability across the region. The West and South have received up to 60 cm of storm snow earlier in the week, quickly followed by high freezing levels and warm air up into the alpine. The North and East of the region have had 20-30 cm of cold dry new snow with light Northeast winds. This new slab may be bonding poorly to a patchy layer of surface hoar that was buried near the end of December. Deeper in the snowpack there is a persistent weak layer of surface hoar and crust that is now down about 60 cm.

Regions covered