Bollettino valanghe

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Thu
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
2 · Moderato
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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 4 years ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Stormy weather with warming temperatures and periods of heavier snowfall will cause the avalanche danger to increase throughout the day. You may find that slides begin to fail more easily as the snow starts to pile up. Steer clear of convex rollovers, wind-loaded slopes, and areas with bad runouts.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Storm slab, wind slab, loose dry…. You may see a little of all of these by the end of the day. In the morning, focus your attention on wind loaded areas where the snow drifted into deeper and firmer slabs. You may trigger avalanches below cornices or in rocky terrain. As temperatures warm and the snow totals start to grow, you may find shallow slabs on more features. These storm slabs will likely fail on unsupported slopes and near convex rollovers. These slides could release at the base of the new snow (1/17int) or may involve snow down to the most recent crust (1/14). If avalanches run on this lower firm surface, they could travel far and fast. Use hand pits and small test slopes to monitor how the snow changes over the course of the day. By the afternoon, you may start seeing larger avalanches, particularly in locations that receive more than 6 inches of new snow.

    (12/30/2022)

    Hand pits can allow you to look at the upper snowpack layers and how the new snow has bonded to the old surface. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Even though the danger rating hasn’t really changed in days, not all moderate forecasts are the same. We’ve been experiencing a downtrend in danger, Wednesday’s storm will reverse that direction. We’re expecting the hazard to increase throughout the day. However, this isn’t a very big storm for the West South zone, and the modest expected snowfall totals should help keep conditions from getting too dangerous. 

Day’s like this keep us thinking about the consequences of terrain. Since most slides will be on the smaller side, take time to look at your travel routes. What would happen if a small avalanche took you for a ride? Creeks, cliffs, and gullies can all turn small slides into big deals. 

Over the past few days, snow has slowly accumulated over the 1/14 crust. Small wind slab and loose dry avalanches have been reported near Crystal Mt. In general, you’ll find 8-15 inches of snow over this very solid layer prior to this storm. So far we haven’t seen any significant weak layers in the recent snow, but that could change with this storm. Similarly, avalanches may entrain snow down to the crust and run far and fast on the firm bed surface.

Regioni coperte