November 10, 2014

    Early Sunday morning, brief glimpse of the Tantalus Range. Snow line down into the trees.

  

   Very cloudy Sunday morning , but patches of blue!

   By days end it was sunny with the odd cloud. A few natural avalanches on Garibaldi.

    Sunset Sunday evening at the Tantalus Look Out.



Weather observations for November 10, 2014; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -11, Winds were 30-45 KPH from the NNE
1860 meters      -8, Winds were 30-40 KPH from the NNW
1550 meters      -4,  Relative Humidity 74 %
  660 meters      -3, Valley Temperature, Max Temp Yest was +6, 7.8 mm of rain recorded here      
                                between 12:00-06:00 Yesterday morning. Fianally a frost :)

    Clear skies and unlimited visibility, guns are on, expect some ground fog this morning.


For the Forecast, a dry northerly flow aloft with cold arctic air moving into our zone, will bring clear cold weather for at least one week. There is a disturbance to the South Thursday but it may not reach our zone as the high will be deeply embedded. Looking at the long term forecast we could see a snowy cold pattern by the middle of next week. Will be interesting to see how much water can be converted into snow in the next 7 days?!

    This mornings image. High amplitude ridge building off shore. Arctic air moving in from the NE.

    Cold temperatures in a Northerly flow, with off shore flow.



Benefit-Detriment Analysis for new Rescue Technologies: Avalanche Canada

Recent Avalanche conditions in the Alps: Switzerland

Risk management in the Backcountry: HAMS

Are avalanche airbags effective? Alloffpiste

What it takes to be a Ski Patroller: Medic 52

    Cloudier South of Vancouver on Sunday afternoon.

   Snow above Lions Bay.

    Cool colours in the Fraser Valley, it was cloudy out there most of the day.

    Dusk, looking over Green Lake.

    Back side view of the Tantalus Range from Horseshoe Bay.

November 9, 2014

    Whistler Bowl Saturday morning, felt like snow was on the way. Small slide in centre of slope.

    Looks like a Size 1 cornice release. If there is enough snow to ride, there is enough to slide!

    More blue towards Squamish on Saturday afternoon.

    Tantalus Range had a fresh dusting yesterday morning.




Weather observations for November 9, 2014; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters      -4, Winds were 20-30 KPH from the SSW
1860 meters      -3, Winds were 20-30 KPH from the SSE
1550 meters      -1,  Relative Humidity 99 %
  660 meters     +3, Valley Temperature, Max Temp Yest was +8, 0.5 mm of rain recorded Yest

    This am cloudy with obscured skies, we will see sunny breaks by this afternoon. Snow guns are on.


For the Forecast, the cold front has left a layer of new snow in the alpine as it slowly moves out of our zone with lingering clouds this morning. Unsettled conditions this afternoon as an upper trough moves through prior to a high amplitude ridge building in a Northwesterly flow with cool temperatures and sunny conditions for Monday through Friday. The cold air mass will bring freezing temperatures into the valley.  There may be a  change coming Thursday as the models are in disagreement in what will happen with the air mass to the south of our zone. It may not affect us and we could be in for cool clear conditions into next weekend. More on that in future posts.

    Cold front is moving Southeast this morning.

 

     Cold temperatures Tuesday night into Wednesday. Omega Block, good for snow making.



Avalanche Courses on Mount Seymour November 22-23, 2014 : Canada West Mountain School

Four military personnel and a civilian trapped under an Avalanche: Kashmir, India

Yin, Yang & You: Roger Atkins ISSW 2014

    Satellite image from 09:30 Saturday morning, Nov 8, 2014.

    This image taken in the same time frame as the satellite image. More cloud moving into the valley.

    Some low level cloud moved into the Whistler Valley Saturday morning.

    Third tallest waterfall in BC, at 335 meters; Shannon Falls.

    Mount Garibaldi shrouded in thin layers of cloud; Nov 8, 2014.

November 8, 2014

    Friday morning, stratus layer mid mountain.

   Trees are becoming leafless.

    Wedge Mountain late Friday afternoon.

    For this time of the year the South Side looks awesome. Late in the day, November 7, 2014.



Weather observations for November 8, 2014; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters       -1, Winds were 15-25 KPH from the W
1860 meters      +1, Winds were 5-15 KPH from the SSE
1550 meters      +1,  Relative Humidity 88 %
  660 meters      +4, Valley Temperature, Max Temp Yest was +8.7

    High thin stratus layer over the valley this am.



For the Forecast, the very weak ridge will give us another day of unsettled weather with mostly cloudy  dry conditions. A fast moving low pressure system with an associated cold front emanating out of the gulf of Alaska will bring clouds and light precipitation to the area this evening into Sunday morning. An arctic out break will bring in clear cold weather for next week as it begins to build on Sunday afternoon. Freezing levels will begin to drop as the cold front moves through tonight with values going from 2000 meters to 1000 meters by Sunday evening. By Monday evening they will drop to - values in the valley with one of the coldest days being Wednesday. I wonder how many litres of water will be used up next week for snow making?  Should see temperatures mid mountain next week hover around -8.

    Satellite image from November 7, 2014; image taken at 13:30 Hours.

    Northerly flow will bring cooler temperatures.

    Cold air moves in on Monday.

    By Wednesday we are in our first cold snap of the year.  Temps East of the Rockies look frigid.


Avalanche involvement near Crested Butte : Backcountry Magazine

Three Phobias related to Weather: Astraphobia, Chionphobia, Ombraphobia

Avalanches, Death Threats, and No Lifts: World's Most Dangerous Ski Race

Avalanche of Arctic Air: Roanoka Times

Why snow machines are cold comfort as the Alps warm: Digital News

Avy Thoughts: Backcountry.com



From Avalanche Canada                                                                                                                          
Please spread the word:
We were recently contacted by the Pemberton RCMP who have recovered a number of avalanche airbags after executing a search warrant. They suspect they were probably stolen from a heli- or cat-skiing operation and the operators may not be aware of the theft. Can you please help spread this word in the Whistler/Pemberton area?
Owners can claim them by identifying the airbags by make/model.
For more information or to report this theft, contact:
Steve LeClair - Staff Sergeant
NCO i/c Operations
Whistler Pemberton RCMP
steve.leclair@rcmp-grc.gc.ca<mailto:steve.leclair@rcmp-grc.gc.ca> / Tel: (604) 905-1965

     Some colour by days end.

    Still respectable for the temperatures and precipitation we have been receiving.

    Common Loon on Alta Lake November 7, 2014.

    Even the crevasses are filling in. Icicles are a good sign.

November 7, 2014

   Can still see the snow line.

    Rivers and lakes are at maximum capacity.

    River of Golden Dreams, there is a dock there, somewhere!                                                          

    Super Typhoon Nuri is moving into the North Pacific.

Unfortunately, another super typhoon formed in the Western Pacific this past weekend that has tied with Super Typhoon Vongfong as the strongest storm of 2014. Super Typhoon Nuri peaked on Sunday (November 2, 2014) with sustained winds near 180 miles per hour (mph) or 290 kilometers per hour (kmh). Nuri has weakened since the weekend, and it is expected to stay east of Japan as it pushes off to the northeast into the northern Pacific Ocean. A trough will pick up Nuri, and the models are expecting the storm to bomb out near the Bering Strait. The storm has the potential to become the strongest storm in that region in recorded history. Nuri’s size and magnitude will likely influence the jet stream’s orientation over the Northern Hemisphere, thus resulting in an extreme weather pattern across North America. 




Article on Nuri

By the middle of the weekend, this new version of Nuri may test the record books as the strongest extra-tropical cyclone ever observed. Computer models have consistently produced some eye-popping numbers for where it will reach its max intensity, ranging from the 900s to 920s (millibars). For reference, the strongest extra-tropical storm ever recorded is ~913mb (records aren’t *great* for this type of measurement, but it’s a good approximation).

   Big picture from yesterday morning. Lots of moisture from Typhoon Nuri in the North Pacific.



Weather observations for November 7,  2014; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters        -5, Winds were 20-30 KPH from the S
1860 meters        -3, Winds were 10-20 KPH from the S
1550 meters         0, Relative Humidity was 99 %
  660 meters       +6, Valley Temperature, Max Temp Yesterday +9, 42.2 mm of rain recorded Yest

    Nice morning in the Alpine, some high cloud and mid mountain cloud with cooler temperatures.


For the Forecast, the strong low pressure has pushed East in a Westerly flow and a weak ridge of high pressure is building in our area. The subtropical fire hose is now pointed to the North of our zone. Unsettled conditions will bring mostly sunny skies with some cloud lingering in the mountains for today. Saturday is also looking unsettled with a mix of sun and cloud. The air mass is still fairly warm so freezing levels will fluctuate in the 1400-2600 meter range.  A cold front is forecasted to move through Saturday evening into Sunday morning sliding down the coast from the system to the North, in a Northerly flow. Freezing levels will rise slightly with the cloud cover and should hover around 1800 meters. Significant ridging will build Sunday evening into early next week with clear cool conditions forecasted with freezing levels finally reaching the valley floor by Tuesday. Finally the snow makers can get to work!! At this time an arctic high should influence our zone by Tuesday, but the models are inconsistent so more on that in future posts.

    GFS Model showing the flow for the weekend.

    Cooler air from the North should begin to move into our zone by Monday.


Video Friday's:

250 Foot Canyon Rope Swing: Utah

The Wild Within; British Columbia, Canada: We Live In an Amazing Environment

Bike Wheels made of Ice: Filmed in Whistler

Arborist Night Mare: Ouch

Super Typhoon Nuri from the ISS: International Space Station



Articles:

Extreme Heat Waves may become the Norm: Science Daily

Airbags and Avalanche Safety: Warren Miller Entertainment

November proclaimed Avalanche Awareness Education Month: Alaska

Avalanche Safety Refresher 2014 2015: Canada West Mountain School

Tips that could save a Life: BC Snowmobile Association

    Low pressure over us yesterday morning produced 42.2 mm of precipitation at 660 meters.

The U.S. GFS model forecast on Monday morning suggests the storm could deepen even further, to an incredible 914 mb.

       Warm on the West Coast and Cold on the East Coast. Jet stream influenced by Nuri.

    Golf course could still be open, no frost delays.

    Plants are loving the moisture!!

   Alta Lake is above normal. 66 mm of rain recorded at the Nester's weather Station since Monday.