Avalanche Advisory Archive Pre-2016
| Date Issued: | 2010-12-14 |
|---|---|
| Danger: | 1 |
| Trend: | 3 |
| Probability: | 1 |
| Size: | 1 |
| Problem: | 0 |
| Discussion: | The National Weather Service Forecasts- TODAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 23 TO 29. NORTHEAST WIND INCREASING TO 10 TO 20 MPH IN THE MORNING. TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW LATE. LOWS 14 TO 24. NORTHEAST WIND 10 MPH. WEDNESDAY...CLOUDY...LOCALLY BREEZY. CHANCE OF SNOW THROUGH THE DAY. HIGHS 23 TO 29. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. HIGHER WINDS AND GUSTS OUT OF INTERIOR PASSES. WEDNESDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY...LOCALLY BREEZY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF With the warm weather from 10 days ago, the rain and heavy dense snow, the snowpack had settled and bonded quite a bit. There are still multiple weak layers further down in the snowpack but the heavy dense snow above them appears to be supportive at this time. Be cautious as new loads are placed on these already weak layers. We had several inches of new snow deposited Saturday and yesterday. This has placed some additional weakness in the snowpack in places with wind deposits. Look to see continued areas of wind loading as the snow in place is affected by winds of 10+ MPH throughout most of the next few days. With very little snow on Mt Juneau in the urban starting zones avalanche danger is LOW at this time. Please remember this is not a backcountry forecast. Please be aware that fieldwork continues to show multiple weak layers in the snowpack. Backcountry danger levels could be considerably higher. |
| Tip: | Winds change snow stability. Windward slopes often become packed. This can lead to hard slab avalanches. Yet after long periods of high winds the windward slopes can often become scoured of snow leaving them safe for travel. Lee slopes often see snow deposited from storm winds. This is a common cause of slab avalanches. If you are seeing winds of 10+ MPH in the forecast you should be thinking of their effects on the slope in relation to aspect and elevation. Remember during periods of snow fall. Rising temperatures place heavy dense snow above the looser lighter snow that fell at cooler temperatures. Common signs of instability include rising temperatures throughout a storm cycle. |