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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 24th, 2015–Jan 25th, 2015

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Human triggered avalanches are likely, and large natural avalanches are possible Sunday due to strong West winds, warm temperatures, and recent snow.  SH

Weather Forecast

Mainly cloudy conditions Sunday, with westerly alpine winds reaching 100+km/h in the Little Yoho region. Temperatures will remain above zero at valley bottom and alpine temperatures will stay just below freezing. We don't expect any significant snow over the next 3 days.

Snowpack Summary

15-30+ cm of snow over the last 24 hours and strong W winds are creating wind slabs at treeline and above. The snowpack in the Emerald Lake and Mt. Field area is about 130-160cm deep, with the main weakness being the Dec 18 surface hoar down 50-70cm. This layer continues to produce moderate to hard results, but the layer is not found in all areas.

Avalanche Summary

Sloughing and loose, wet avalanches up to size 1.5 were observed out of steep, rocky terrain.  Limited observations in the area today. 

Confidence

Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Sunday

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.

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.