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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 19th, 2023–Feb 20th, 2023

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

Regions

Chic-Choc Mountains, Littoral, Murdochville.

The amount of precipitation expected during the day is uncertain.

If the precipitations are constant throughout the day, expect an increase of the depth and the reactivity of the wind slabs.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

A size 1 wind slab avalanche was accidentally triggered by a skier, on a western aspect, in the Grande Cuve.

Thanks for contributing to the collection of this valuable data by sharing with other users on the Mountain Information Network or by writing to us directly at [email protected].

Snowpack Summary

5 à 10 cm of low density snow overlies the crust created by last week's warm temperature event. Although the effects of these mild temperatures were limited, there is still a generalized crust, ranging from very thin, and even imperceptible when skiing, to 3 cm thick, depending on the location. This interface rests on a well-consolidated, right side up, mid-snowpack, with a constant increase in density. The January 18 crust is buried under about 60 cm of snow, and still has a layer of flat-faced grains above.

Summits and upper couloirs have various surfaces, going from scoured down to the ice to wind pressed snow.

In general, the height of the snow pack varies from 70 to 90 cm down in the valley, to 100 to 150 cm at mid-elevations

Weather Summary

Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.

Synopsis: A low pressure system is moving in with strong southerly winds, increasing the freezing level. An uncertain amount of snow is expected, and maybe rain at valley bottom.

Sunday evening and night: Cloudy. Snow starting overnight. Winds from the south from 60 to 80 km/h. Min. -7C. Freezingt level at 250m.

Monday: Cloudy. 8 to 15 cm of snow. Winds from the southwest from 60 to 80 km/h. Max. -5C. Freezing level level at 700m.

Tuesday: Sunny. No precipitation. Winds from the northwest around 50 km/h easing off to 35 km/h in the afternoon. Max. -10C.

Wednesday: Cloudy. 2-3 cm of snow. Winds from the northwest around 40 km/h. Max -19C.

For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

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.