March 6, 2015

    Avalanche near Vail leaves one man injured, story in articles below.         Vail Mtn. School Photo

    Looking North at 07:00 Hours March 5, 2015.

    Cloud layer did drop to the higher peaks yesterday morning. Armchair Glacier barely visible.

    Whistler Mountain Thursday morning.

    There were some patches off blue sky around later in the morning.

    Blackcomb Thursday afternoon.

    Looking North, 13:30 Hours Thursday.

    Whistler 17:00 Hours yesterday, between 16:00 Hrs and 17:00 Hrs there were intermittent showers.


Weather Observations for March 6, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters     -3, Winds were 10-15 KPH from the WSW
2180 meters     -2, Winds were 10-20 KPH from the WNW 
1860 meters     -1, Winds were 5-10 KPH from the E
1835 meters     -1, Winds were 0-5 KPH and variable
1650 meters     -1, no new snow, Base 144 cm
1550 meters      0, no new snow, Base 109 cm,  Relative Humidity 80%.

  660 meters     -2, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +10.

   As of 07:00 Hours we have thick cirrus clouds and unlimited visibility.

For the forecast, the strong upper level ridge will remain over the Pacific Northwest through Monday morning giving dry conditions and warmer than normal temperatures. High cirrus cloud will vary in thickness as the day progresses. Freezing level should top out at 2200 meters this afternoon.  Saturday will be sunny with the FL reaching 2300 meters. Sunday starts as a sunny day and transitions into an unsettled weather day with some cloud development with warmer than normal temperatures. FL may reach 2400 meters. A weak frontal system begins to push into the area on Monday with cooler temperatures and some light precipitation by Monday afternoon in an unsettled pattern. Tuesday is when the front brings more cloud, warmer temperatures and some light precipitation in the evening. Wednesday as of now looks cloudy with a Fl around 1700 meters and light snow above 1500 meters.  I am sure these values will change before then. Unfortunately the snow accumulation amounts being forecasted are decreasing in the newer model runs. Time will tell.

   Thick High cirrus cloud for this morning, thinning as the day progress .

    High rebuilds for Saturday.

   Unsettled with some cirrus cloud on Sunday.

   Ridge flattens and moves East.

    Low will send cloud and moisture into our area.

    Some moisture coming our way.

    Ridge rebuilds later in the week.

VIDEO FRIDAYS:

Top 10 snowmobile crashes and fails: You Tube

The Best Alpine Skiing Crashes: You Tube

The Best Mountain Bike Crashes: You Tube

Free Ride Ski Crashes: You Tube

Avalanche footage from control work: Andorra, Pyrenees-France

ARTICLES:

Skier injured in Pitkin Creek Avalanche: Vail, CO

Accident summary from Hells Canyon Avalanche: Utah Avalanche Center

Snowboarder killed in an avalanche outside Snowbasin Boundary was not wearing a transceiver: Utah

Skiers and boarders entering closed areas while avalanche control is being performed: Snowmass, CO.

What happens inside an avalanche, new research: Duke University

Weak Season Opportunities--Mt. Garabaldi: Vince Schuley

    There was some interesting light at times yesterday afternoon.

    Fissile Mountain in the background.

    Last night, less cloud than this morning. Full moon.