Danger Sign
• No signs observed • Ingen faretegn observert i Longyeardalen etter snø i helgen. Bra oversikt i dag.
Avalanche Activity
• 18. Dec. During the day (+01:00) • No avalanche activity
Snow Cover
• 45 cm • No snowdrift • 5 cm • Elevation of new snow 0 masl. Snow line at 0 masl • Some loose snow (1-10cm) • Dry • Generally 5-10 cm of new snow fell at lower elevations (<400 m) the last 72 hours. This snow fell with uncharacteristically light winds, and this has resulted in 5-10 cm low density new snow evenly distributed throughout the terrain. In general, there is still very little snow in most locations in Longyeardalen. West aspects of Gruvefjellet and Sukkertoppen have some snow in the lee starting zones, but this is typically less than 60 cm (measured via probing and with the LiDAR data posted on Saturday).
Weather
• No precipitation • -8 °C • 2 m/s from SE ↖ • Klar med bare lett bris fra sorøst. Ingen snøtransport.
Avalanche Problems
• Dry slab avalanche • Buried weak layer of faceted snow near surface • Within half a meter • Difficult to trigger • Unlikely • 2 - Medium • Some steep slopes SW, W, NW • In the Lia starting zone, the only avalanche concern I was able to find was a layer of small facets approximately 15 - 25 cm above the ground. This layer is not very reactive in stability tests, and the facets are not yet very large or well-developed. Additionally, at lower elevations in Longyeardalen, this problem is likely rather isolated to areas with older snow, which in general are lee areas on western aspects. In some very isolated areas where the oldest snow has persisted over the last month, large 3-5 mm facets can be found at the ground, but the distribution of this problem seems to be very isolated.
Avalanche Danger Assessment
• In Longyearbyen, 5-10 cm new snow that fell without wind through the weekend lies throughout the terrain. This new snow lies either on nearly bare ground or, in some lee areas, on older hard wind-blown snow. Older wind-blown snow has stabilized and is not reactive in stability tests. • Low-density new snow throughout the region will be readily transported once the wind begins to blow again, likely resulting in the development of wind slab problems again. This could become problematic with forecasted strong winds and precipitation in the next few days. • 1 Low • Forecast correct