December 11, 2020

     YESTERDAY:

      Sunrise Thursday, 08:00 Hrs. -7 with a 25-50 KPH ESE wind.

      It has been way too warm. We need winter back!!

      At least some of the guns are working at mid mountain.

      Thursday Dec 10, 2020. 14:00 Hrs At 1860 m -4 with a 10-20 KPH ESE wind. +1 in the valley.

      Satellite image from the same timeframe.

     Just before sunset.

Weather Observations for December 11, 2020 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters      -8, Winds were 10-20 KPH S--Horstman Hut

2180 meters      -7, Winds were 15-20 KPH S--Whistler Peak
1860 meters      -6, Winds were   5-10 KPH SE --Rendezvous 

1835 meters      -6, Winds were   5-10 KPH ESE--Round House

1650 meters      -5, 3 cm in 12 Hrs, 3 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 99 cm --Pig Alley 
1560 meters      -5, 3 cm in 12 Hrs, 3 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 64 cm--Catskinner 

  660 meters      -1, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +1.6, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday.

     As of 07:15 Hrs we have overcast skies and unlimited visibility. Snowing lightly.

FORECAST: 

An upper low will bring periods of light precip this am in a Southerly flow aloft.  Drying trend this afternoon as a weak ridge builds into Saturday. The FL today should hover around surface. We should see a few sunny breaks this afternoon. A mix of sun and cloud for Saturday with seasonable temperatures. Another weak front arrives early Sunday morning with periods of light precip. A series of frontal bands for next week as a deep low in the Gulf of Alaska sends wet warm weather our way for most of the week. Thursday could be a soaker. More on that as we get closer. Guesstimates: trace-2 cm by Saturday am, 0 cm by Sunday am, 2-6 cm by Monday am.

     GOES IR image from this am.

       Some flurries Friday morning with a drying trend by the afternoon.

     Weak ridge for Saturday with a mix of sun and cloud.

       Low will send light precip for Sunday with cooler temps.

      AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

A snowboarder has died in an avalanche on Saas Fee, Switzerland. Article below.           Net Pic

      Old debris on Cougar. No new avalanches observed on Thursday locally. 

      Flute.

      Old debris on the Triangle.

From the Sea to Sky Advisory:

By Wednesday, the recent storm snow appeared to have locked up, as explosive control work produced only limited size 1 loose dry results in the low density surface snow over the crust.

A widespread natural cycle occurred during the storm Monday night through Tuesday, storm slabs size 2-3 and loose wet size 1-2.

     INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

      Rain runnels below 1700 meters from Monday. Time for a reset.

     At times it felt like a weak front was going to arrive!

      Looking South Thursday afternoon.

      Looking North.

      Old bomb hole on 5-0.

      Cornices slowly growing.

     Breakable crust at 1500 m. Crust supportive at upper elevations. 

LOCAL AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:

Shovelnose Creek: Dec 9, 2020

Wedgemount: Dec 10, 2020

VIDEOS:

Powder Picker Dec 10, 2020: David Jones

Zojila Pass Avalanche: Dec 9, 2020

ARTICLES:

A snowboarder has died in an avalanche near Saas Fee: Switzerland

What is Powder Cloud: Powder Cloud

Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Temper: GAIA GPS

La Nina ENSO Prediction, Dec 10, 2020: NOAA

What to expect this winter: NOAA'S 2020-21 Winter Outlook

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