---
title: "Snowpack, slope and signal | Nexus Observatory"
description: "Avalanche forecasting reasons about the likelihood and size of avalanches on given terrain. The observations behind it come from a few stations in hard…"
url: https://observatory.global/stories/mountain-avalanche/
publisher: Nexus Observatory Inc.
updated: 2026-10-31
---

[Stories](https://observatory.global/stories/)Place: Mountains and avalanche terrain

# Snowpack, slope and signal

Avalanche forecasting reasons about the likelihood and size of avalanches on given terrain1. The observations behind it come from a few stations in hard places, and the network that brings them out has to work in the worst weather of the year.

**Systems**: Remote weather and snow stations, Line-of-sight radio, Off-grid power
**Toward 2030**: Denser, cheaper snowpack observation
**Figures**: 4, field scene, layer stack, simulator, systems diagram

Go to the references

**01** Field scene

## A valley in alpine terrain.

A private cell on the valley floor, a weather station on a shoulder, a compact radar and a seismic vault stand on terrain drawn from a real elevation model. The red stipple is the ground the mast can see; everything in shadow needs a relay or a different site.

Figure as text: Stations and coverage in an alpine valley

An alpine valley from elevation data: a cell tower on the floor with its visible ground in red stipple, a weather station, a compact radar on a ridge and a seismic vault.

- Cell site
- Weather and snow
- Compact radar
- Seismic vault

**02** Layer stack

## Reading the terrain in layers.

Forecasters judge avalanche problems on terrain: slope, aspect, elevation band and exposure to wind1. A layer stack makes those inputs explicit: contours, the stations, the access routes, and a modelled slope class whose red line marks the steepest ground.

Figure as text: Avalanche terrain as registered layers

An exploded stack: terrain contours, imagery, land cover, routes and structures, stations, an analysis grid and a modelled terrain class with a red threshold line.

1. **Terrain** : Contours from the elevation model.
2. **Imagery** : Optical and radar scenes.
3. **Land cover** : Forest, open slopes and rock.
4. **Routes and structures** : Roads, rail and buildings exposed to avalanche paths.
5. **Stations** : Weather and snow stations; red ones are reporting now.
6. **Terrain class** : A modelled slope class; the red line marks the steepest ground.

**03** Simulator

## A station that must last the winter.

In a narrow valley in December, the sun clears the ridge for only a few hours. A snow station’s battery has to carry it through storms that bury the panel. Set a short winter day and a heavy load to see the margin.

Figure as text: Winter energy balance of a remote snow station

A line chart of stored energy over fourteen days with a dashed reserve line.

| Battery | 4800 Wh |
| --- | --- |
| Station load | 18 W |
| Solar array | 240 W |
| Peak sun hours | 0.8 h |
| Autonomy without sun | 8.9 days |
| Daily energy balance | −288 Wh |
| Days to empty at this balance | 13.3 days |

**04** Systems diagram

## The scale the public reads.

Behind every public bulletin is a danger rating on a five-level scale used across North America, and a description of the avalanche problem2. Better observation does not change the scale; it narrows the uncertainty behind each rating.

Figure as text: From stations to the public bulletin

A four-tier diagram: stations and field reports, radio relays, the forecasting office, and the public bulletin and transport operators.

- **Observations** : Snow station, Ridge wind, Field reports
- **Relays** : Relay, Satellite
- **Forecasting** : Forecast office
- **Bulletin** : Public bulletin, Road and rail

8 links. Scenarios: Normal operation; Relay buried.

Figure 1

Field scene

**In sight of the tower top**: 1.93 km²
**Share of the patch**: 97 %
**Radio horizon, 25 m mast**: 26.4 km
**Tower to radar**: 545 m

Figure 1. Stations and coverage in an alpine valley. An alpine valley from elevation data: a cell tower on the floor with its visible ground in red stipple, a weather station, a compact radar on a ridge and a seismic vault.

## References

1. [A conceptual model of avalanche hazard](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-3070-5) . Statham, G. et al., Natural Hazards 90:663–691, 2018.
2. [Avalanche forecasts and the North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale](https://avalanche.ca) . Avalanche Canada, 2024.

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## Where this applies

[Sensors & instruments](https://observatory.global/sensors/)[Connectivity](https://observatory.global/connectivity/)[Field services](https://observatory.global/field-services/)[Edge compute & AI](https://observatory.global/edge-ai/)[Public safety](https://observatory.global/industries/public-safety/)[Transport](https://observatory.global/industries/transport/)[Civil resilience](https://observatory.global/industries/resilience/)[Field tour: mountain valley](https://observatory.global/environments/mountain-valley/)

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