Wayne Flann Avalanche Blog: March 27, 2021

YESTERDAY:

Sunrise Friday was at 07:01 Hrs, -4 with a 10-20 KPH SW wind.

Up through the stratus cloud layer.

. Early Friday morning.

Coming out of the Stratus Cloud layer.

Cheakamus Glacier.

It certainly made you think about staying in the sun and not skiing into the cloud.

Blackcomb Glacier had some nice soft smooth snow.

The top of Mount Fee.

The cloud eventually lifted and encompassed the peak.

High yesterday in the valley was + 8.7 Deg C.

Later in the day, snowcats working their magic.

Weather Observations for March 27, 2021 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters -6, Winds were 20-25 KPH SW--Horstman Hut

2180 meters -6, Winds were 15-20 KPH SSW--Whistler Peak
1860 meters -4, Winds were 10-15 KPH ESE --Rendezvous

1835 meters -3, Winds were 5-10 KPH SW--Round House

1650 meters -3, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 274 cm --Pig Alley
1570 meters -2, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 193 cm--Catskinner

660 meters +2, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +8.7, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday.

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

FORECAST:

Upper level ridge has dampened with overcast skies for this am in a Northerly flow aloft. A vigorous front arrives this afternoon with strong winds and light/moderate precipitation. The FL will likely stay below 1500 meters dropping to 1000 meters by tonight. Another impulse of moderate precip with strong winds (100+) on Sunday with the FL dropping to surface later in the day. Should see a drying trend Sunday night with the ridge rebuilding for Monday with sunny skies. Tuesday and Wednesday look nice with a mix of sun and cloud. Next weak front arrives on Thursday. Guesstimates: 18-22 cm by Sunday am, 18-22 cm by Monday am.

GOES IR image from this am.

Low sending a warm front our way this afternoon, with trailing cold front.

Northerly flow aloft.

More snow with strong winds for Sunday.

Ridge rebuilds with sunny skies for Monday.

Ridging for Monday.

AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

No new avalanches observed on Whistler. Xc results up to Sz 3. Cornice drops.

Cornice control on Exlax. Xc up to Sz 2.5 on other cornice blasts. No new avalanches observed.

From Sea to Sky Avalanche Advisory:

Avalanche Summary

A few cornices were triggered naturally and from explosives on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They were very large, as is expected at this time of year. On Thursday there was also a size 2 wind slab reported on a north aspect at 1900 m.

Snowpack Summary

Snow accumulated earlier in the week with strong wind from the southwest switching to northeast. New wind slabs likely formed during this time, which may linger in steep, alpine terrain features. This snow adds to the 30+ cm that accumulated on the weekend. All of the new snow sits above a widespread crust, with the exception of high north-facing terrain. Observations suggest the snow has bonded well to the old snow beneath.

Remember that cornices along ridgelines are large at this time of year and always have the possibility of failing naturally or from the weight of a human.

INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

Just a reminder, will be challenging when it snows.