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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 12th, 2022–Apr 13th, 2022

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

Regions

Yukon.

Heightened avalanche conditions exist on wind-loaded slopes after strong outflow winds have hammered the region.

Confidence

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, no precipitation, 20-40 km/h wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures drop to -15 C.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny, no precipitation, 20-30 km/h wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures reach -10 C.

THURSDAY: Clear skies in the morning then increasing cloud in the afternoon, no precipitation, light wind from the north, treeline temperatures reach -8 C.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with scattered flurries, up to 5 cm of new snow, light wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

Avalanche Summary

A very large cornice-triggered wind slab avalanche (size 3) was observed near White Pass on Tuesday and a few small human-triggered wind slabs (size 1) were reported during the outflow wind event on Monday. A few other large cornice failures were observed on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

Strong northerly wind has affected most surfaces and left some large wind slabs in isolated alpine terrain. Sun crusts are found up to 1200 m on south and west facing slopes, while surfaces on other aspects are dry. The snowpack is strong with no weak layers of concern at this time.

Cornices are very large and exposure to them should be minimized, especially during warm or windy weather.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.

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.