March 19, 2020

    YESTERDAY:

    First light Wednesday morning, sunrise was at 07:18.

    Early Wednesday morning.

    Another awesome day in the mountains.

    Wednesday March 18, 2020. 12:00 Hrs. +1 Deg C with a 5-10 NNE breeze.

    Image from Wednesday afternoon.

    A few clouds around in the afternoon. Proper social distancing.

    Horstman Glacier

    Alpenglow Wednesday night.

    Sunset was at 19:21 Hrs.

Weather Observations for March 19, 2020 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -6, Winds were     0-5 KPH SE--Horstman Hut

2180 meters    -5, Winds were 10-15 KPH SE--Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -5, Winds were   5-10 KPH ESE --Rendezvous 

1835 meters    -4, Winds were   5-10 KPH SE--Round House

1650 meters    -5, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 250 cm --Pig Alley
1560 meters .  -4, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 170 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters    -5, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +11.8, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday.

    As of 07:00 Hrs this am we have high broken cloud and unlimited visibility.

FORECAST:

A mix of sun and high cloud for today as a weak upper level low spills some cloud into the area in a Southwesterly flow aloft. The freezing level will rise to around 1800 + meters, dropping back to 1000 meters tonight.  Ridge rebuilds for Friday in a dry Northerly flow aloft. Saturday is also looking sunny with a low moving into the area from the Gulf of Alaska on Sunday. Early next week upper level troughing will bring a mixed bag of weather,  more on that as we get closer. Guesstimates: dry until Sunday.

    GOES IR image from this am.

     Low moves down the coast, bringing a mix of sun and cloud for today.

    Fronts along the coast.

     High rebounds for Friday with more sunny weather.

     High still in control for Saturday.

    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    Wet loose slides will be occurring with warm temperatures.                                             Net Pic

    INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

Effective March 18th the Kees and Claire hut will be closed except for refuge in an emergency. The vestibule of the hut will remain open to those who need refuge in an emergency. All bookings from March 18th onward will be cancelled and no new bookings will be accepted.

    Tobogganing has been suspended.

    Tundra Swans are still hanging out on Green Lake.

    Tuesday's tracks from Kite Skiing.

    The ice surface is changing daily with the high valley temperatures. High yest + 11.8 Deg C.

    Another week and you might be able to drive it away.

    Water Skiing.

    What will SAR volunteers do if there is a backcountry call? EMBC has not issued PPE!!

    New sign on the rescue road on Blackcomb!!

    When it comes to COVID-19 you can put your head in the mud, but you will get dirty.

AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:

Cerise Creek: March 17, 2020

VIDEOS:

Wet Loose March 17, 2020: Joffre Lake

Whistler weather with meteorologist: David Jones

ARTICLES:

Avalanche blocks Bishkek-Osh Road: Kyrgyzstan

1 dead 2 Injured in the French Alps despite COVID-19 lockdown: Pistehors

WB to open designated uphill skiing routes on both mountains: Pique

Today is the first day of spring: Farmer's Almanac

Backcountry Avalanche Forecast: NAC

Backcountry virus concerns: Castanet

B.C.'s SAR Groups urge safety as people use the outdoors for social distancing: Pique

Greenland shed ice at an unprecedented rate in 2019: Science Daily