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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 1st, 2026–Mar 4th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Waterton Lakes, Waterton.

Wet loose avalanches are the primary concern as rising freezing levels and solar input warm sun-exposed slopes.

Wind slabs are gradually losing reactivity, but recent strong winds have left widespread wind-affected snow in exposed terrain where triggering remains possible.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed in the past week, but extensive wind effect is visible on exposed slopes throughout the park.

Snowpack Summary

Previous strong to extreme southwesterly winds formed wind slabs at all elevations, stripped windward slopes to crust or scree, and created widespread wind effect in open terrain. Beneath this, 30–50 cm of settled snow overlies crusts and facets. The lower snowpack is generally well settled.

Weather Summary

Monday

Sunny. Low of -1 °C, High of 2 °C. Wind gusting to 55 km/h. Freezing level of 2300 m.

Tuesday

Isolated flurries. Low of -2 °C, High of 1 °C. Wind gusting to 70 km/h. Freezing level of 2200 m.

Wednesday

Isolated flurries up to 6 cm. Low of -2 °C, High of 0 °C. Wind gusting to 55 km/h. Freezing level of 2100 m.

Current weather forecast: Mountain Weather Forecast

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.