December 22, 2015

    Early Monday morning, December 21, 2015.

    There were moments yesterday when there was blue sky.

    Marine stratus layer rolled in later in the afternoon.

    Some nice light near the end of the day.

    Just before sunset which was at 16:12 yesterday.

    Whistler Peak.

    Full moon will be on December 25, 2015. Known in some circles as the Cold Full Moon.


Weather Observations for December 22, 2015: taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -10, Winds were 5-20 KPH S            --Horstman Hut Station
2180 meters      -9, Winds were 5-10 KPH WSW     --Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -10, Winds were 5-10 KPH SSE       --Rendevous
1835 meters      -9, Winds were 5-10 KPH S            --Roundhouse
1650 meters      -7, 1 cm of new, 2 cm in 24 hours 188 cm Base, Relative Humidity 92%  --Pig Alley
1550 meters      -5, 1 cm of new, 136 cm Base        --Catskinner 

  660 meters      -5, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +0.4. 0 mm of precipitation recorded

For the forecast, a strong low pressure system is likely to brush us again today into Wednesday with some precipitation by this evening into Wednesday. Unsettled conditions this morning with scattered flurries later in the morning transitioning to light snow by this evening. Wednesday will also be overcast with light snowfall to the valley. As of now we should see some steady moderate snowfall by Wednesday night as a cold front moves through the area. Thursday is looking unsettled as a ridge of high pressure builds and strengthens into Christmas day with sunshine expected!! Cold temperatures over the next few days with a Northwesterly flow. Guesstimates: 4-6 cm by Wednesday morning, 15-20 cm by Thursday morning. 3-5 cm by Friday morning. There is a good chance that this low will veer South and give us way less snow!

    As of 07:00 Hours this am we have broken cloud and unlimited visibility.

    Low pressure in the area for later today.

    Hopefully it will stay on track and not slip to the South like the last one.

    Not liking the track from the GFS model.

    Unsettled by Thursday with sunny breaks by the afternoon, flurries in the morning.

    So far Christmas Day is looking Blue Bird.



ARTICLES:

Update on the tragic avalanche in Norway: Svalbard, Archipelago

More Avalanches threaten Svalbard: Spitsgergen

Technical Report on Sheep Mountain Avalanche: Montana

Avalanche Danger stops search in Washington State: Missing Backcountry Skier

5 Things to remember when travelling in avalanche terrain: SweetwaterNow

Winter Solstice is today: VanCityBuzz


On Saturday a tragic incident happened just South of the resort near Tricouni Peak. A gentlemen fell into a deep snow depression and succumbed to what is likely snow immersion suffocation. He was dug up and his air way cleared in 4 minutes but after lengthy CPR and transport to Squamish then to Vancouver General hospital passed away of cardiac failure. The tree wells and depressions in our zone are very deep with all the snow we have accumulated in the past few weeks. There are areas if you take your skis off you will sink well above your chest. Even with a quick response there is no guarantee you can survive such an event. Still talking with people that are out and about skiing and boarding by themselves. Its important to always use the buddy system and try to keep in visual or hearing distance when moving through treed terrain or deep snow.

Another incident on Sunday in Washington State when a 51 year old man fell into a tree well and was killed near Snoqualmie pass.

Skier dies in accident at Snoqualmie Pass: Tree Well Death

Tree Well and Snow Immersion Suffocation: Hazard and Safety Information

    All the precipitation went South.

    Some much for my guesstimates, the low decided to avoid our zone entirely.

    Moon Rising on Monday.

    Raven preparing for a landing.

    Fissile Mountain.

    Sunset Monday.