March 4, 2015

    Austrian Alps claims an Australian women caught in an avalanche, story below.               Net Pic

    Tuesday morning March 3, 2015. Snow guns blazing on both mountains.

    There were many guns pumping out the white stuff yesterday morning.

    Lots of snow being made on Lower Mainline on Blackcomb.

    Ribbon to the town centre looks great, people were saying it was skiing well.

    Just before sunset on Tuesday evening.


Weather Observations for March 4, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters     -4, Winds were 5-10 KPH from the SE
2180 meters     -3, Winds were 5-10 KPH from the NW
1860 meters     -4, Winds were 5-15 KPH from the E
1835 meters     -5, Winds were 0-5 KPH from the E
1650 meters     -7, no new snow, Base 145 cm
1550 meters     -5, no new snow, Base 109 cm,  Relative Humidity 52%.

  660 meters     -7, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +5.7.

   As of 07:00 Hours we have some high cirrus cloud and unlimited visibility.

For the forecast, upper level ridging and low level offshore flow will bring another sunny warm day to the area in a Northerly flow. Winds have diminished and the freezing level will rise to 1600 meters this afternoon.  A very weak short wave trough will brush our zone Thursday through Friday morning bringing clouds to the area before a weak ridge brings unsettled weather for the weekend. Freezing levels may rise as high as 2000 meters through this cloudy period which will be in much warmer air mass.  We may see some cirrus cloud development at times. Long term, there appears to be a shift in the pattern with cloudier and warm wet conditions expected Sunday into Monday. Models are in disagreement during this period with some trending toward a dry sunny weekend.  The GFS model is trending toward snow for next Tuesday through Thursday in the upper elevations. Time will tell. More on that as we get closer.

    High cirrus cloud in the area yesterday.

    Big picture from yesterday before noon.

    Upper level ridging and low level off shore flow will maintain dry and milder conditions today.

       Ridge flattens on Thursday with more of a Westerly flow. Warm unsettled weather on its way.

ARTICLES:

Australian women killed, man critically injured in an avalanche in Austria: Landeck District

Despite headlines avalanche death toll falls: Swissinfo.ch

Avalanche in India kills two people: Himichal, Pradesh

Three army personnel killed in an avalanche near Chiyalekh: Indian-Nepal Border

Mammut wants to keep you safe in avalanche terrain: REI

Large snowfall equals avalanche in Orelle: Val Thornes, France

Impressive avalanches in the Pyrenees: Pistehors.com

    See more and more of this around the valley.

    Snow making right to the valley floor yesterday morning.

    Haulback just above the Fitzsimmons Bridge on Blackcomb.

    At this rate you will be able to ski to the valley for a golf game.

March 3, 2015

    Searchers keep finding bodies from avalanches in Afghanistan. Update below. Shah Marail Pic

    10:30 Monday morning, March 2, 2015. Winds were gusting to 30 KPH from the SSE.

    Same time frame winds were 80KPH from the NNW, unable to open Peak Chair.

    Clouds dissipated quickly early Monday morning.

    No ice left on Alta Lake, strong outflow winds in the valley Monday.

    Making snow on Upper Olympic Run, Whistler Mountain. Monday morning.

    Still Ski in Ski out. Snow makers doing an excellent job maintaining the White Line.

    One Hour after sunset yesterday which was officially at 17:54. We had 11 hours of daylight yest.

Weather Observations for March 3, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters     -12, Winds were 30-50 KPH from the WNW
2180 meters     -11, Winds were 35-60 KPH from the NNW
1860 meters     -11, Winds were 10-20 KPH from the WNW
1835 meters     -10, Winds were 5-20 KPH from the ESE
1650 meters     -10, no new snow, Base 146 cm
1550 meters       -9, no new snow, Base 110 cm,  Relative Humidity 53%.

  660 meters      -5, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +6.8.

    As of 07:00 Hours we have mostly clear skies and unlimited visibility.

For the forecast, high pressure will bring sunny skies for today with the possibility of a few clouds.
Northerly flow continues to bring cooler temperatures with the freezing level maxing out at 1200 meters. Wednesday will also be sunny and slightly warmer with the FL reaching 1500 meters in the afternoon. The upper ridge is still on track to move inland and flatten on Wednesday evening into Thursday. This will allow some cloud development in the area for that time frame. The ridge rebuilds for Friday into Saturday, there may be a shift here as the model runs are inconsistent for Thursday to Saturday. More on that later. 

    Upper level ridge and surface high will maintain dry weather into Wednesday.

    Weak upper level short wave trough will move down the coast. Some precip possible Thursday.

    Upper ridge for later on Friday into the weekend with mild temperatures and sunny skies.


ARTICLES:

Backcountry skiing fatality on Snow Crest Mountain: Kimberely, B.C.

Avalanches kills more than 300 in Afghanistan: The Telegraph

In Europe--The snow keeps falling, but the avalanche risk rises: The Independent

Avalanche victim recovered 40 years later: Tasman Glacier, New Zealand

Avalanche drama in the mountains: Norway

Land of Thundering Snow--Canada's first virtual Avalanche Museum: Revelstoke, B.C.

15 Structures damaged by avalanches: Northern Kashmir

    Arm Chair Glacier Monday-- March 2, 2015.

    Lost Lake is slowly coming unglued.

    Technically it did snow to the valley on March 1/2, 2015. Even if it was a dusting.

                 Wind deposited snow in the Crystal Zone on Monday morning. Steve Reid Photo

    Nice light near days end March 2, 2015. Some snow would make for good conditions in the alpine.

    Full Moon is on March 5 Th, micro-moon or mini-moon, smallest full moon of the year.

March 2, 2015

    An avalanche has killed a man in the Chartreuse area in France. Story in articles.   Net Pic

    Avalanche in Veneto, Italy has claimed 2 lives, one in critical condition, story below.    Net Pic

    Death toll in Afghanistan avalanches has now reached 285, story in article section below. Net Pic

    Sunday March 1, 2015 started out as a fine looking day but the clouds spoiled the show.

    As the morning progressed the clouds became more frequent.

    Making snow in the valley Sunday morning.

    Green lake is looking clear at the South end.

    Biking and skiing all in the same day.

    Became very overcast in the afternoon. Raining in Vancouver at 18:00 Hours.

The ribbon to the bottom is in awesome shape considering the conditions in the past 2 months.
Steve Reid Photo


Weather Observations for March 2, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters     -12, Winds were 25-70 KPH from the SSW
2180 meters     -11, Winds were 55-80 KPH from the WNW
1860 meters       -9, Winds were 35-55 KPH from the WNW
1835 meters       -8, Winds were 10-25 KPH from the SSW
1650 meters       -7, 2 cm of new snow, Base 146 cm
1550 meters       -4, 2 cm of new snow, Base 109 cm,  Relative Humidity 58%.

  660 meters       -4, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +6.8, Trace recorded before midnight.

    As of 07:00 Hours we have clear skies with spotty cloud and unlimited visibility.

For the forecast, the weak weather system that moved through last night has moved South of our zone bringing clear skies in a Northerly flow. The freezing level will raise slightly today to 900 meters and come back down to the surface tonight.The FL will begin to climb on Tuesday maxing out at around 1200 meters. The upper ridge will remain in the area until at least Wednesday evening when it begins to weaken and move East allowing unsettled conditions into the area for Thursday into Saturday. A mix of sun and cloud in a dry air mass and slightly warmer temperatures can be expected in an onshore flow.

    Weak system moved south, was raining in Vancouver last night.

    Sunny for today.

    Sunny Wednesday.

    Some cloud may spill into the area on Thursday??

ARTICLES:

Avalanche fatality in the Chartreuse Region: France

Avalanche in Veneto has killed two people: Italy

Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley hit by fresh avalanches: BBC News

Avalanche buries cars on E 39 Highway in Hordland Aftenposten: Norway

Four dead after rain and avalanches cripple Himachal Pradesh: India

Death toll in Afghanistan avalanches reaches 285: Kabul

    Wedge yesterday morning near noon.

    Tantalus Range had a much thicker cloud layer by Sunday afternoon. 15:30 Hours.

    Whistler Bantam Rep Team won 10-2,11-2, 5-1 to clinch the Tier 4 Championship this weekend.