Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Inland
Pockets of lingering wind slab are still proving reactive to human traffic at higher elevations
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Watch for stiff or hollow feeling snow, and shooting cracks.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated pockets of wind slab to Size 1.5 and 2 have been reported on southerly aspects around 1700m in the past few days.
Snowpack Summary
Surface snow has been affected by winds from a variety of directions. The degree of wind effect varies throughout the region, with the most dramatic winds associated with outflow conditions in western parts of the region near coastal inlets. Sheltered areas may still have 10-30 cm of powder from previous storms. A variable weak layer that formed in mid-December can be found roughly 20 cm below the surface. This mid-December layer is comprised of crusts on solar aspects and feathery surface hoar in sheltered locations.
The lower snowpack is generally well settled with two prominent crusts. The late-November crust can be found 30-50 cm below the surface and the October crust is near the base of the snowpack.
For an update on conditions from last week (which haven't changed too much) check out the Mountain Information Network (MIN) report here. And please submit your own observations to the MIN!
Weather Forecast
THURSDAY: Cloudy with isolated wet flurries / moderate southeast wind / Alpine temperature 0 with a temperature inversion
FRIDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries / Moderate to strong south wind / Alpine temperature 0
SATURDAY: Flurries, accumulation 5 cm /Light to moderate southwest wind / Alpine temperature -4
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Avalanche Canada has switched to an RSS feed for its daily forecasts. This is a much more flexible method that allows automatic delivery to your email inbox, or to an RSS reader of your choice.
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Lingering pockets of wind slab may exist on a range of aspects at higher elevations as wind directions have varied over the past week.