December 11, 2018

    YESTERDAY:

    Flurries in the morning, 3 cm at 1550 m as of 14:00 Hrs, 6 cm at 1650 m.

    Breaks and flurries.

    Nice to get some powder.

    Breaks in the afternoon.

    Just before dusk on Monday.


Weather Observations for December 11, 2018  taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters       -6, Winds were 75-100 KPH SE--Horstman Hut
2180 meters       -6, Winds were 90-120 KPH S--Whistler Peak
1860 meters       -4, Winds were   25-50 KPH S--Rendevous
1835 meters       -4, Winds were   20-50 KPH ESE--Round House
1650 meters       -3, 12 cm of new, 18 cm in 24 hrs, Base 96 cm--Pig Alley
1565 meters       -4,   4 cm of new,   7 cm in 24 hrs, Base 50 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters        0, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +2.7, 4.2 mm of precip recorded yest

    As of 07:45 hrs we have obscured skies, limited visibility and snowing 1 cm per hour.


FORECAST:

A strong warm front will reach the area this morning with moderate/heavy precipitation and strong winds in a Westerly-Southwesterly flow aloft. The FL will continue to hover in the 1000 meter range and may go a bit higher with the approaching warm front. By tonight the FL could drop back to the valley with the passage of the cold front. Unsettled weather for Wednesday before another front moves onshore later in the day into Thursday with a slightly higher FL (1400 m) dropping back to the valley by Friday night. A short lived break on Saturday before another front Saturday night into Sunday. Guesstimates: 20-30 cm by Wednesday morning, 15-20 cm by Thursday morning, 25-35 cm by Friday morning, 20-30 cm by Saturday morning.

    GOES IR image from this am.

   Strong Pacific front heading our way with moderate/strong winds.

    Warm front just off the coast this am.

    Warm front followed by a cold front.

    Fronts along the coast.

    High pushes into the area on Wednesday.

   Another front Wednesday night.

    Low will send another front for Thursday.


    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    An avalanche has killed 2 men in the Bucegi Mountains, Romania. Article below.    Net Pic

    Sz 1- some Sz 2 soft slabs with Xe(explosives) & Sc (ski cut) .

    Sz 1 soft slabs yesterday Xe Sc

   Sr Sz 1.5 yesterday.


    INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

    Travelling up hill in avalanche terrain will get your pass revoked. Find out whee you are!!

    Look for signs!!

    Pay attention to all the signs, losing your pass is not fun!!

   Falling into rock hole is no fun, be careful with this thin snow pack. Avoid boulder fields.

    Checking out the snow..

    Nice dry snow in the alpine.

    Nester's weather station, 660 meters.

    Breaks yesterday afternoon.

    Big picture Monday afternoon.




ARTICLES:

An avalanche has killed 2 in the Bucegi Mountains:  Romania

Alps battered by first snow storm of the season amid avalanche warning: The Telegraph

Ozone depletion increases Antarctic snowfall, partially mitigating ice sheet loss: Science Daily

December 10, 2018

    YESTERDAY:

    Snowing in the alpine Sunday morning.

    Still snowing lightly at 12:45 Hrs. -2 Deg C. 0 Deg C at 1650 meters.

    Yesterday afternoon, looking unsettled behind the front.

    Goes Ir image at the same time frame.

    Sunday night, loving the dump!!




Weather Observations for December 10, 2018  taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters       -7, Winds were 35-60 KPH SE--Horstman Hut
2180 meters       -6, Winds were 30-55 KPH S--Whistler Peak
1860 meters       -5, Winds were 10-30 KPH S--Rendevous
1835 meters       -4, Winds were 10-30 KPH ESE--Round House
1650 meters       -2, 14 cm of new, 26 cm in 24 hrs, Base 85 cm--Pig Alley
1565 meters       -3, 12 cm of new, 20 cm in 24 hrs, Base 46 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters        0, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +0.1, 17.8 mm of precip recorded yest

     As of 08:00 hrs this am we have overcast skies and variable visibility.


FORECAST:

A cool upper level trough will pass through today in a Westerly flow aloft. The FL should hover in the 1000 meter level for most of the day. Unsettled today, mostly cloudy with some Flurries. A stronger frontal band pushes through tonight into Tuesday with strong winds and moderate/heavy precipitation. A break for Wednesday with some flurries until the next moist frontal band arrives Wednesday night into Thursday. Yet another on Friday. Guesstimates: 10-15 by Tuesday morning, 15-20 by Wednesday morning, 4-8 cm by Thursday morning.

    GOES IR image this am.

    Upper trough for today with the FL hovering around 1000 meters.

    Next warm front arrives tonight.

    Fronts along the coast.

    Westerly flow with strong winds, FL hovering around 1000 meters.

    Cold front pushes through Thursday afternoon.

   Freezing level near the surface at times on Wednesday.
    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

   No new snow avalanches observed yesterday with limited visibility. Sc Sz 1 during storm.




INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

   Big Picture yesterday afternoon.

    Finally some natural snow to the valley, -2 deg C in the valley at 13:00 Hrs.

   12 cm of snow recorded by 14:00 Hrs at the Pig Alley weather plot.

    8 cm of new as of 14:00 Hrs at 685 meters. 

   Snowed all day well into the night.


From Avalanche Canada MIN Reports:

Cayoosh: Dec 9, 2018



ARTICLES:

Update on the avalanche near Aosta: Italy

Decision making in an uncertain World: Powder Canada

December 9, 2018

    YESTERDAY:

    A few breaks Saturday morning.

    Looking up Blackcomb Glacier.

    Into the cloud on Whistler.

    Saturday afternoon.


Weather Observations for December 9, 2018  taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters       -4, Winds were 50-100 KPH SE--Horstman Hut
2180 meters       -4, Winds were   75-90 KPH S--Whistler Peak
1860 meters       -1, Winds were   25-40 KPH S--Rendevous
1835 meters       -1, Winds were   20-50 KPH SE--Round House
1650 meters        0, trace of new, trace in 24 hrs, Base 60 cm--Pig Alley
1565 meters       -1, trace of new, trace in 24 hrs, Base 28 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters       -5, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was -1.5, 0.0 mm of precip recorded yest

    As of 07:30 hrs we have obscured skies, limited visibility and its snowing lightly.



FORECAST:

First of a series of fronts move onshore today in a Southerly flow aloft. The freezing level could rise as high as 1700 meters  as the warm front pushes onshore with moderate precipitation. A cold front arrives later today with the FL dropping to 1000 meters. A chance the FL may hover in the 1000 meter range this morning into tonight.  A break in the flow on Monday with an upper level trough followed by a stronger front on Tuesday, with a strong Westerly up slope flow. Another break in the flow Wednesday before another front arrives Wednesday night. Guesstimates: 15-25 cm by Monday morning, 1-3 cm by Tuesday morning, 15-20 cm by Wednesday morning.

    GOES IR Image from this am, looks like the moisture is going North.

     Westerly onshore flow with a FL around 1500 meters.

   Fronts along the coast.

    Upper level trough for Monday.

    Another pacific front for Tuesday.

    Low moving down the coast.


    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

   An avalanche in Italy has killed a French Skier, article below.                                        Net Pic

   Avalanche in the Col Pillonet, Italy.

    No new avalanche activity to report locally, old debris from our last storm.

    Breakable crust in some areas yesterday.


    INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

    Old avalanche debris form last spring.

    The Blackcomb Gondola was turning.

    Looking happy, hope that means a Dec 15 opening.

ARTICLES:

An avalanche has killed a French skier in the Italian Alps: Col Pillonet, Aosta

An avalanche closes Richardson Highway at Thompson Pass: Alaska