Wayne Flann Avalanche Blog: Avalanches

22 Feb 2022

February 22, 2022

YESTERDAY:

First light Monday am.

Mostly cloudy skies to the South.

Spindrift in the am.

Blue Bird in the afternoon. At 14:30 Hrs at 1860 m it was -15.5 Deg C with a 25-35 KPH N wind.

Clouds to the South West later in the afternoon.

Snow guns were producing a lot of snow at days end.

Weather Observations for February 22, 2022 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters -23, Winds were 35-60 KPH ENE--Horstman Hut

2180 meters -25, Winds were 40-60 KPH N--Whistler Peak

1860 meters -22, Winds were 30-45 KPH N--Rendezvous

1835 meters -23, Winds were 15-35 KPH N--Round House

1650 meters -21, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs. ?Base 229 cm --Pig Alley

1570 meters -20, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs. ?Base 163 cm. Catskinner

660 meters -12, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was -1.0, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday

Wind chill at 2180 m -25 with a 50 KPH wind = -42

Wind chill at 1835 m -23 with a 30 KPH wind = -36

As of 07:00 Hs this am we have clear skies an unlimited visibility.

FORECAST:

Ridge of high pressure will bring sunny skies and cold temperatures today in a North-North Easterly flow aloft. The freezing level will remain well below surface. A weak low and trough to the east will send cloud our way on Wednesday. Cold and unsettled in the am, overcast in the afternoon with a chance of some flurries Wednesday evening. Ridge rebuilds for Thursday with sunny skies and seasonable temperatures. More of the same for Friday. A front arrives Saturday with periods of light precipitation. A more zonal flow should bring in a series of fronts into early next week. Guesstimates: 0 cm by Wednesday am, 0-trace by Wednesday am, 0 cm by Thursday am, 0 cm by Friday am, 0 cm by Saturday am, 8-12 cm by Sunday am.

GOES IR image from this am.

GOES 17 ABI Image 2022/02/22. 05:00 Hrs.

Ridge of high pressure with cold Arctic air for today.

North-NorthEast flow aloft.

High shifts North, Low sends cloud our way for Wednesday.

High pressure with seasonable temperatures.

Sunny but warmer than the past 3 days.

AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

Some Sz 1 windslabs Sc in the am on reverse loaded slopes on Whistler.

Some small isolated pockets of wind slab on Blackcomb.

FROM AVALANCHE CANADA--SEA TO SKY:

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, natural size 1 wind slabs were being observed as well as some isolated natural loose activity. A natural size 2 cornice was also reported which did not trigger a slab.

On Thursday, a natural icefall triggered a size 2.5 slab avalanche on the slope below. This avalanche was on a northeast aspect at 2100 m. Details were limited but we expect this may have been a persistent slab avalanche.

Snowpack Summary

The weekend storm produced 5-10 cm of snow with strong southwest wind that likely formed thin wind slabs in exposed terrain. On Monday, the wind switched to a northeast direction causing reverse loading and thin wind slabs should now be expected on all aspects.

The mid-February crust is down 10-30 cm. This melt-freeze crust is reported to exist on all aspects and elevations, except for some of the highest elevation polar aspects. Facets have been observed above the crust on polar aspects.

The late-January crust/facet/surface hoar interface is buried down 40-100 cm. This layer was most reactive between 1700 m and 2000 m. While this layer now appears to be dormant through most of the region, it may still be possible to trigger it at upper treeline or lower alpine features on polar aspects with a large load like a cornice or in shallow snowpack areas.

INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

Awesome clouds in the am.

. North wind was producing slabby snow from the man made snow.

Wind slabs were forming in depressions.

Small pockets of wind slab on lee slopes.

A grouse was hanging out at the freestyle centre.

Good turns to be had off piste.

Good turns on piste.

Lots of folks heading into the backcountry.

Man made snow drifts in a Northerly outflow.

LOCAL MIN REPORTS:

Shallow Crust at Stadium Glacier: Feb 20, 2022

Mount Mulligan: Feb 20, 2022

VIDEOS:

Solo ice Climber hit by avalanche: 400 Feet Up

ARTICLES:

Search for missing employees of Chinese Company covered by avalanche continues: Kyrgyzstan

More details about the avalanche that killed a snow biker: Montana

Passing on 50 seasons of avalanche knowledge: Snow Nomad

CAIC warns avalanche danger could rise to the worst this season by Wednesday: Colorado

Marker Flexible Touring Goggles up for grabs. Send best avalanche shot to win. wwflann@me.com

27 Jan 2022

January 27, 2022

YESTERDAY:

Early Wednesday am.

First light on Mt Currie. Clear Skies.

Clouds did appear later in the am.

The park was entertaining.

Great colours in the afternoon.

The show just kept on going.

Red sky at night, skiers take delight, in the next day of shredding.

Weather Observations for January 27, 2022 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters -2, Winds were 20-30 KPH S--Horstman Hut

2180 meters -1, Winds were 25-35 KPH SSW--Whistler Peak

1860 meters -1, Winds were 10-20 KPH ESE--Rendezvous

1835 meters +3, Winds were 10-20 KPH S--Round House

1650 meters -1, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs. Base 218 cm --Pig Alley

1570 meters. 0, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs. Base 153 cm. Catskinner

660 meters -6, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +4.4, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday

FORECAST:

Ridge of high pressure continues to dominate the weather pattern in a Northerly flow aloft. Another inversion this am with the Freezing Level spiking to 2400 m this afternoon, dropping back to surface tonight. Mostly sunny skies for today, may see a few clouds this morning and later this afternoon.. Unsettled Friday as the ridge begins to shift SE. Low moves down the coast with a cold front arriving Saturday. Snow with seasonable temperatures forecasted into Sunday. Weak upper trough will bring mostly cloudy skies for Monday. Guesstimates: 0 cm by Friday am, 0 cm by Saturday am, 10-15 cm by Sunday am, 2-6 cm by Monday am, Trace-1 cm by Tuesday am.

At 07:00 hrs this am we have clear skies, unlimited visibility.

GOES IR Image from this am.

GOES 17 ABI image 2022/01/27. 05:00 Hrs.

Groundhog Day. Persistent ridge with mostly sunny skies, some cloud.

Northerly flow aloft.

Ridge begins to flatten on Friday, mix of sun and cloud.

Low will send a front our way Saturday.

Front should bring precipitation before noon on Saturday.

AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

An avalanche has buried Motorway E6 in Northern Norway. Article below. Narvik Havn Pic

No new avalanches observed on Blackcomb, Snowballing on SW aspect.

Better images of the Sz 2.5 Xc slab release from cornice control on Pearly Gates. Jan 25, 2022.

Slab went just above the 2021/12/01 Crust.

No new avalanches observed on Whistler. We need a new surface!!!

FROM AVALANCHE CANADA:

Avalanche Summary

A natural cornice fall was reported on Tuesday in the far north of the Sea to Sky Region.

Explosive control work near Whistler on Tuesday produced a cornice fall that triggered a size 2.5 deep persistent slab on weak crystals above the early December crust. The slab was triggered mid slope, 60-130cm deep. This indicates that while the weak layer is unlikely to be triggered by skiers and riders, it is still able to be affected by large loads like a cornice.

Snowpack Summary

High elevations hold pockets of dry snow redistributed as wind slabs mostly found on north through east facing slopes, however recent winds have varied so expect loading on all aspects at ridge line.

The January 16 melt freeze crust sits around 30cm deep, observed up to 2100 m. Surface hoar was observed above the crust on south facing slopes at treeline and in the alpine north of Pemberton but this does not appear to be widespread. At lower elevations, the previously rain soaked upper snowpack is moist and may be capped with a breakable crust.

The crust/facet layer formed in early December can be found around 100-200 cm deep, most prominent between 1700 and 2100 m. In shallow features it may sit only 60cm below the surface. This layer showed no reactivity from the warming event on the weekend and is classified as dormant currently. Large loads such as a cornice falls may still be able to trigger avalanches on this layer, especially in areas where the snowpack thins.

INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

Waining moon Wednesday am.