Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Dec 13 – 16, 2020
View on map
Archived · expired 6 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

ncreasing winds over the next few days will form wind slab in lee areas that may not bond well to the underlying crust. Take the time to investigate as you transition into to wind affected areas.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Increasing southwest winds will form wind slabs in lee areas that will not bond well to the underlying faceted snow above a crust. This could create potential for wide propagations.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Facetted surface snow will slide easily on the newly formed December 9 crust, especially on sheltered steep smooth slopes. This will become less of a problem by tuesday as winds increase.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches observed

Confidence

Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Sunday: Increasing cloud and winds through the day from the southwest up to 50km/h at ridgetop. Temperatures around -9.

Monday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and moderate west winds. Alpine high -10

Tuesday: Light snow, with winds dramatically increasing to 90km/h at ridgetop form the west. Alpine high -9

Snowpack Summary

In the Cameron lake area, 10-20cm of faceted storm snow sits above a crust, and will be blow into new windslabs. A well consolidated midpack sits above a thick ice crust that forms the bottom of the snowpack. Treeline snow depth in the Cameron lake area just over 1m with amounts tapering quickly at lower elevations and in other areas of the park.

Regions covered