November 4, 2016

    Two climbers were swept into a crevasse on Mt Blanc by an avalanche, story below.       Net Pic

    Image of the Brouillard Glacier where the incident occurred.                                                 Net Pic




WEATHER IN THE PAST FEW DAYS:

    Monday afternoon, more snow in the trees.

    Satellite image Monday morning, eventually it did dry up in the afternoon.

    Not much of a view Monday afternoon.

    Tuesday November 1, 2016  -3 at 1835 meters, nice to see the snow makers at work!!

    Big picture Tuesday afternoon.

    Looking like winter Tuesday morning.

    Wednesday morning November 2, 2016  Snowing and 0 Deg at 1835 meters..

    Image from Wednesday morning.

    Snow line slowly descended Wednesday morning. Temps warmed up, 0 Deg at 2240 from 12:30 ->

    Thursday November 3, 2016 -1 at 1835 meters at 07:00 Hrs.

    Image from Thursday morning.

    Thursday afternoon, eventually dried out after showers during most of the day.


Weather Observations for November 4, 2016: taken at 07:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -3, Winds were 50-75 KPH SE --Horstman Hut
1860 meters   +4, Winds were 30-50 KPH SE --Rendevous
1650 meters   +4, RH 45%  1.5 mm of precip  --Pig Alley  Precip from 14:00 Hrs yest

  660 meters   +1, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +7.7, 5.1 mm of Precip recorded yest

    As of 07:30 Hrs this am we have broken cloud and unlimited visibility.

   There is some valley fog.

FOR THE FORECAST-- a break in the weather today but very warm temperatures with the freezing level rising well above the local peaks in a Southwest flow aloft. We will see some cloud development this afternoon as the front moves in from the coast.  A cold front moves through Friday evening with the FL dropping to about 2000 M with moderate to heavy precipitation expected for Saturday. Good chance the FL will stay high for Saturday afternoon (2100 M), with it dropping to 1600 meters Saturday night. The front will move through our zone quickly followed by an upper level trough bringing unsettled weather for Sunday with some light intermittent showers. The FL on Sunday should hover around 1800 meters.  Monday, another warm air mass moves onto the coast by the evening but there are some inconsistencies in the models, looks wet, warm, and windy for Tuesday into Wednesday. More on that in Monday's Post.

    Dry for today, with some warm sunny weather in the morning.

    Should see the next frontal band arrive Friday evening.

   Cold front Friday night , but the FL will likely only drop to 2000 meters.

    Front on Saturday will have some significant precipitation associated with it.

    Fast moving upper level trough for Sunday with some breaks Sunday afternoon.

    Should see a break Sunday afternoon.

    Massive low pressure with strong winds and warm temperatures for early next week.

   Another warm front for Monday but more on that in Monday's Post. Would be nice if it stayed N.

OBSERVATIONS:

Not much to report, avalanche control on Whistler Thursday produced a size 2.5 on Whistler East. Limited observations with 80+ ridge top winds. Not many people venturing out in the windy wet conditions.


Some weather stats for October over the past 10 years, taken at 660 M:

Year                  Precip Amounts          Avg Max Temp          Avg Min Temp

2016                       323.4 mm                   9.2 C                          2.7 C
2015                         67.2 mm                 13.2 C                          4.5 C
2014                       252.6 mm                 12.2 C                          5.7 C
2013                         19.3 mm                 12.5 C                          1.3 C
2012                       189.7 mm                 11.2 C                          2.5 C
2011                         82.5 mm                   9.7 C                          2.1 C
2010                         70.8 mm                 11.9 C                          3.5 C
2009                       151.3 mm                   9.8 C                          1.5 C
2008                       112.6 mm                 10.2 C                          2.1 C
2007                       152.6 mm                   9.5 C                          2.1 C
2006                         65.6 mm                 13.1 C                          1.8 C




VIDEO FRIDAY:

5 Critical Mistakes made in the Mountains: High Fives

In our Backyard: Tantalus

When Worlds Collide: 509 Volume II Trailer

Getting ready for your first tour of the year: AIARE




ARTICLES:

An avalanche on Mount Blanc has killed two climbers: Italy

How has the # of avalanche victims changed over the last 80 years: SLF

With all this warm weather should Colorado Skiers and Snowboarders be worried: Denver Post

Safety Upgrade--Beacon Trade in offers-- $75 Credit: Ortovox

Ten dangers of skiing and how to avoid them: Hix Magazine

Yukon Avalanche Forecasts to rely on mobile app users this season: CBC News

    8.8 mm of precip recorded at 660 meters on Monday.

    Started snowing Tuesday afternoon. 4.2 mm recorded at 660 meters on Tuesday.

    Wednesday morning, by noon the FL spiked to the top.

    Wednesday afternoon, wet snow fell fairly low. 27.0 mm recorded at 660 meters for Wednesday..

    Cloudy but dry Thursday afternoon, 5.1 mm recorded at 660 meters Thursday in the am.