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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2022–Apr 3rd, 2022

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

Regions

North Rockies.

Strong southwest wind will continue to build fresh wind slabs in the alpine and at treeline. These slabs will be especially reactive where they overlie a crust. Wet loose avalanches are possible on lower elevation slopes that are exposed to the sun.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Saturday night: Mix of clear sky and cloudy periods, trace of new snow, strong southwest wind, alpine low -4 °C, freezing level at 1300 m. 

Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds, up to 5 cm snow, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine high -2 °C, freezing level around 1500 m. 

Monday: Mainly cloudy, 10-15 cm snow, moderate to strong southerly wind, alpine high -3 °C, freezing level around 1400 m.

Tuesday: Cloudy, 5-10 cm snow, strong westerly wind, alpine high -5 °C, freezing level at 1300 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, a few natural dry loose avalanches were reported. 

On Friday, a small wind slab avalanche was observed in steep rocky terrain. 

No new avalanches were reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, several natural wind slab avalanches and machine-triggered slabs up to size 1 were reported in the Renshaw area.

Snowpack Summary

Above 1900 m, 15-25 cm of new snow overlies 20 cm of denser snow that tapers rapidly with elevation. About 50-60 cm snow sit over the mid-March interface at upper elevations.

Below 1900 m a melt-freeze crust exists on all aspects and to mountain top on solar aspects. Below the crust, the top 10-30 cm of the snowpack are moist.  

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.

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.