Wayne Flann Avalanche Blog: January 22, 2021

YESTERDAY:

Sunrise Thursday Jan 21, 2021. 07:59 Hrs. We are gaining 2 minutes of daylight/day at present.

Clouds were clinging to peaks in the am.

Very distinct stratus layer.

Looking South in the am.

Looking North.

Thin upper clouds to the South.

It was an awesome day.

Thursday Jan 21, 2021. 14:00 Hrs. -8 with a 10-15 KPH NNE wind. + 1 in the valley.

Satellite image from the same timeframe.

Stratus layer did dissipate later in the day.

Weather Observations for January 22, 2021 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters -7, Winds were 20-25 KPH NNE--Horstman Hut

2180 meters -9, Winds were 15-20 KPH NNE--Whistler Peak
1860 meters -8, Winds were 5-15 KPH NNE--Rendezvous

1835 meters -7, Winds were 5-10 KPH ESE--Round House

1650 meters -10, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 218 cm --Pig Alley
1570 meters -10, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 149 cm--Catskinner

660 meters -5, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +1.8, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday.

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

FORECAST:

Sunny skies for today in a Northerly flow aloft. The freezing level will remain below surface. Sunny Saturday morning with increasing cloud cover in the afternoon as the ridge begins to shift Southeast. Light precip begins early Sunday morning and remains fairly steady throughout the day. More light precip on Monday. A series of weak impulses will bring periods of light snow into next weekend. There are some discrepancies in the models ,more on that as we get closer. Cooler temps will bring the snowline to the valley. Guesstimates: 0 cm by Saturday am, 1-2 cm by Sunday am, 4-6 cm by Monday am, 4-8 cm by Tuesday am.

GOES IR image from this am.

High pressure with sunny skies and cooler temps on Friday.

Surface high begins to shift SE on Saturday. Sunny in the am, clouds in the pm.

Weak trough for Sunday with light precip. Cooler temps, snow to the valley.

AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

Active avalanche cycle in France. Articles below. Net Pic

Old fracture line on Decker.

No new avalanche observations on Whistler. Xc Sz 1.5. Cornice control.

No new avalanche observations on Blackcomb.

From the Sea to Sky Advisory:

Avalanche Summary

No new reports in the last couple days. A few small wind slab avalanches were reported early in the week. Explosive control targeting cornices on Friday and Saturday produced size 2 results, some triggering deep slabs on the rocky slopes below.

Earlier this month, we saw significant deep persistent slab activity, both natural and human triggered.

Snowpack Summary

Extensive wind effect in the alpine includes scoured windward aspects and hard slabs in lee terrain. Soft snow may be found in sheltered areas around treeline. A widespread surface crust exists below 1900 m and on south-facing slopes.

Remnants of a melt-freeze crust from early December may be found around 200 cm deep in the snowpack. Several large natural and human triggered avalanches failed on this layer earlier this month. Although it still shows propagation and collapse to moderate to hard loading in the most recent snowpack tests, it has become well bridged by overlying snow and crust.

INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

Upper Disease Ridge.