Sustained winds continue to form wind slabs.
Watch for signs of instability, such as propagating cracks or hollow sounds, and carefully assess your slope before committing to wind affected terrain.
The steady winds of the last 48 hours, which were conducive to snow transport, have varied in direction, forming wind slabs on various aspects. Be careful in leeward areas, cross loaded and reverse loaded features.
These new wind slabs may rest, in places, on the January 18 crust, increasing the reactivity to skier traffic in those areas.
A slab has formed on top of the facets on crust interface of the January 18th, which is now buried at a depth of 60 cm. Although the probability of triggering an avalanche is very low, this interface exists, and could, in isolated places, react to skier traffic. An avalanche on the surface could also step down to the deeper layer.
No new avalanche has been reported or observed in the Chic-Chocs in the last 24 hours.
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Above 600m, moderate to strong winds have redistributed the available snow and Monday's precipitations, exposing ice in open areas, and creating wind slabs of varied density on leeward aspects, cross loaded, and reverse loaded features. Below 600m, we suspect that the effects of yesterday's mild temperatures are limited. Buried down 5-10 cm, we still find a generalized crust though, created by last week's thaw, ranging from very thin, even imperceptible when skiing, to 3 cm thick, depending on the place. The whole thing rests on a well-consolidated mid-snowpack, with a constant increase in density. The January 18 crust is buried under sixty to one hundred centimetres of snow, and still has a layer of flat-faced grains above.
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
Forecast for the Chic-Chocs ridges and summits.
Synopsis: A cold front will sweep through on Monday night, bringing a brief period of heavy snowfall. Flurries easing off in the morning on Tuesday, followed by increasing sun and cold temperatures.
Monday night and overnight: Cloudy. 3-5 cm of snow. Winds from the northwest 40 km/h gusting to 90 km/h. Min. -15C. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Tuesday: Gradual clearing. No precipitation. Winds from the northwest from 30 to 50 km/h. Max. -10C.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. 1-2 cm of snow. Winds from 40 to 60 km/h from the west. Max. -20C
Thursday: Partly clear. No precipitation. Winds from 30 to 40 km/h from the northwest. Max. -24C.
For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine forecast.
