May 26, 2017

    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    Tantalus Range, image taken on May 22, 2017.                                              Bob Plummer Image          

    Snow cat push on Jersey Cream Wall.  

    Slide Path 51, post control from early May.                                                        Jeff Van Dreil Image

   

    Past Week:

    May 22, 2017 the alpine remained closed, for Gaper day.

    Corn snow on Monday May 22, 2017 was awesome at 09:30 Hrs. Last day of the 2016/17 Season.

    Alpha Lake, summer weather Monday May 22, 2017. Max temp was 28.9 Deg Celsius.

    Awesome cloud formations Tuesday May 23, 2017.

    Pre cold front clouds on Tuesday. Max Temp in the valley was +23.4.

    Unsettled with cloudy skies on Wednesday May 24, 2017. Trace of rain recorded at 660 meters.

    Broken by the end of the day on Wednesday. Max temp in the valley was +16.8.

    Sunrise was at 05:13 Hrs on Thursday May 25, 2017.

    Unsettled with a mix of sun and cloud Thursday. Max temp in the valley was +23.4.

    Later Thursday afternoon.

    That's a big raven. Life expectancy of a raven is 10-15 Years.



Weather Observations for May 26, 2017 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters     +5, Winds were 5-10 KPH NW--Horstman Hut 
1860 meters     +5, Winds were 5-10 KPH E    --Rendevous
1550 meters     +5, 0 cm of new snow, 0 cm in 24 hrs, 195 cm Base, RH 68%  --Catskinner 

  660 meters     +5, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +23.4, 0.0 mm of Precip recorded yest

   As of 07:00 hrs this am we have clear skies and unlimited visibility.

   Image from 06:45 Hrs this am.

FORECAST:

An upper ridge will continue to bring warm sunny weather into at least Tuesday. A Northerly flow aloft will bring light winds and a FL reaching 3200 + meters today. Warmer temperatures can be expected Saturday thru Monday. The ridge will begin to migrate Eastward on Tuesday with an upper trough expected to push into the area Tuesday night into Wednesday. Models are in a disagreement on precipitation amounts so on the fence for now, it could be relatively dry but only time will tell. Hoping to post on most Friday's through out the summer but will depend on my location and internet abilities.

    GOES IR image from this am.

    High pressure strengthens into Monday.

    Low well off to the East today.

    Nice and warm on Saturday.

    Warmer on Sunday.

    Low out of the Gulf of Alaska will send a weak upper trough into the area Tuesday evening.

    Still looks relatively nice on Tuesday.

    Weak system for Wednesday.

OBSERVATIONS & INFORMATION:

Kurt Werby May 24 at 4:26pm

On Ptarmigan Ridge at Mt Baker on Sunday. Snow was firm in the am but not frozen and by mid day was isothermal.

    Monday May 22, 2017.

    Monday May 22, 2017 later in the day.

    Snow melt filling up the reservoirs.

    Jump Pool Base 2.

    Ravenous Raven.

    Road up Pika's Traverse.



VIDEO FRIDAY:

Ice Call--Sam Favert: Mer de Glace

Rock Slide and Avalanche in Colorado: Naked Lady Couloir

Home for Dinner: Stan Rey

South American Ski Season: Looking good



ARTICLES:

Avalanche near Chateau Lake Louise captured on camera: CBC News

Avalanche Science Scholarships: Colorado Mountain College

Even well into May, North Shore snow pack making for treacherous hiking conditions: NSR

Snowmobilers rescued from crevasse on Mount Baker: Washington State

Alpine Safety on the agenda in Christchurch: NZ Mountain Safety Council

Avalanche Safety Tips: National Geographic

Ski Patrol-A Real Job: D'Arcy McLeish

May 22, 2017

   AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    Mount Currie slide paths.

    Looks like some recent activity?!!

    Yesterday, locally-- loose wet avalanches observed to Sz 2. Some natural cornice releases to Sz 2.

    An avalanche in France has killed an ex-pistehor, story in article section.                      Net Pic


    YESTERDAY:

    Sunday morning May 21, 2017.

   Armchair Sunday morning, some blue before the cloud layer thickened.

    Bike park was busy.

    Just before noon on Sunday. High cloud pushed in from the West.

    Big picture same time frame Sunday.

    Overcast for most of the day with a high cirrus cloud layer, greenhouse affect.

    High overcast at around noon.

    The cirrus cloud began to dissipate later in the day.



Weather Observations for May 22, 2017 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters      +7, Winds were 10-15 KPH ESE--Horstman Hut 
1860 meters      +9, Winds were     0-5 KPH SE  --Rendevous
1550 meters      +7, 0 cm of new snow, 0 cm in 24 hrs, 200 cm Base, RH 51%  --Catskinner 

  660 meters      +6, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +24.7, 0.0 mm of Precip recorded yest

    As of 07:00 Hours this am we have high scattered cirrus cloud and unlimited visibility.

   Image from 06;45 this am. Still some cirrus cloud in the area.

FORECAST:

The upper level ridge will bring mostly sunny skies to the area today with a Northwesterly onshore flow. There is still some scattered high cirrus cloud but it should burn off by this afternoon. The FL is just below 4000 meters and there is a slight inversion. The high pressure will  persist into Tuesday before a rapidly approaching upper trough pushes in from the North by Tuesday night. We should see come cloud development Tuesday afternoon and there is a chance of some precipitation early Wednesday morning. The FL will drop to 1500 meters by Tuesday night as the trough moves through, with some moderate/strong winds in the alpine. Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with some scattered showers and the FL will gradually rise back up to the 2500 meter range. Unsettled weather for Thursday as the trough moves East and a ridge begins to build for the end of the week.

    GOES IR image from this am.

    May see some clouds pass by later in the day.

    High pressure for today with mostly sunny skies.

    Upper trough will bring some cloud for Tuesday evening into Wednesday.

    Looking unsettled Wednesday as the trough moves East.

    Unsettled Thursday into Friday.

    Ridge rebuilds for the weekend.


OBSERVATIONS & INFORMATION:

    Very quiet at 07:00 Hrs.

    Three hours later!!

    The alpine did not open on Sunday!!

    Very busy day in the Town Centre.


ARTICLES:

Tignes firefighter killed in an avalanche: France

More info on above incident: Pistehors.com

Avalanche Danger High in North Shore Mountains: North Shore News

Avalanche comes down near Kun Base Camp: Kargil, India

Parks Canada Avalanche Bulletin: Spring Conditions

Temperatures in the Arctic are increasing twice as fast: Science Daily