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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 25th, 2019–Dec 26th, 2019

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

Regions

South Coast.

Watch for isolated pockets of wind slab lingering in immediate lees if you are headed for the alpine.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Wednesday night: Clear breaks. Light variable winds.

Thursday: Cloudy with scattered flurries beginning late in the day and bringing 10-15 cm of new snow by morning. Light to moderate southwest winds increasing over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -6 with freezing levels to 500 metres.

Friday: Cloudy. Light southwest winds becoming southeast. Alpine high temperatures around -5 with freezing levels to 700 metres.

Saturday: Cloudy with scattered flurries bringing 5-10 cm of new snow, increasing overnight. Moderate to strong south winds. Alpine high temperatures around -4 with freezing levels to 800 metres.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the region since the widespread natural avalanche cycle brought on by the storm at the end of last week.

Snowpack Summary

A new melt-freeze crust has been observed on the surface of sun-exposed aspects. Below it, 50-100 cm of snow from the storm at the end of last week forms the region's upper snowpack above about 1200 metres.

Another crust that formed before the end of the storm can be found down only about 10 cm. It has been observed acting as a bed surface for small point releases.

Collectively, all this recent snow is forming an increasingly strong bond with the melt-freeze crust present on the previous surface. Below this interface the lower snowpack is well settled and strong.

Below 1200 metres, our recent snow amounts diminish rapidly with elevation and are capped by a melt-freeze crust.

Terrain and Travel

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind affected 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.