Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Little Yoho
Warm temperatures are here. Wednesday should be reasonable, but Thursday and Friday look to be very warm. If you are out in the mountains, start and finish your day early.
Avalanche Problem 1: Loose Wet
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use extra caution on slopes if the snow is moist or wet.
- Watch for clues, like sluffing off of cliffs, that the snowpack is warming up.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
A few deeper avalanches have occurred in the last few days. Some stepped down to the March 15 crust. On shaded aspects these were likely sliding on facets formed at the same interface. This will wake up again with intense heating or large triggers.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could easily trigger persistent slabs.
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas where triggering is more likely.
Avalanche Problem 3: Cornices
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Cornice failures are occurring on a regular basis now with warm temperatures and intense solar inputs. These large triggers have caused failures on the persistent weak layers deeper in the snow pack in a few places in the last couple days.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Cornices become weak with daytime heating, so travel early on exposed slopes.
- Minimize exposure to overhead hazard from cornices.
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche control today produced mixed results with no results in higher elevation wind exposed areas and large isothermal loose wet avalanches in sheltered lower elevation areas. A skier triggered size 2.5 persistent slab avalanche occurred on Mt Fairview late in the day Sunday. We have also seen numerous cornice triggered slabs to size 3.
Snowpack Summary
Isolated wind slabs are present in the alpine. Crust or moist snow on all solar aspects depending on temperatures. Buried temperature crusts to 2000m on all aspects and to ridge top on solar slopes, including the Mar 15 crust down 40-70 cm in the alpine. Moist snow at lower elevations, with the entire snowpack becoming moist near valley bottom.
Weather Forecast
Expect a weak freeze Tuesday night (1500m freezing levels) and a warm day on Wednesday (2500m freezing levels). Thursday and Friday look to be warm with ~ 3700m freezing levels, light winds and weak overnight freezes.
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Loose wet avalanches are starting by mid morning on steep East facing terrain. This pattern will continue for the next while as temperatures increase. Plan your day to be off steep solar aspects early and watch for sun effect on the slopes above you.