Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 3rd, 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

Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies, Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

A persistent weak layer remains the primary concern, especially in steep sheltered areas at treeline or below.

Retreat to more conservative terrain if you see signs of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We have higher uncertainty about treeline conditions due to persistent slabs.
  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

Several small wet loose avalanches were triggered by people and ran naturally on sunny slopes on Monday.

Observations are currently very limited in this region. Please consider sharing your observations with the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 mm of precipitation is in the forecast for Wednesday, and may fall as rain below 1900 m.

Widespread wind effect at upper elevations left a variety of pressed surfaces, slabs, and sastrugi in open terrain. Solar-facing slopes and lower elevations likely have a surface crust.

A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets and a crust is buried 30 to 60 cm deep. Persistent slab avalanches are most likely in sheltered areas at treeline and below, where the surface hoar was well preserved.

The mid and lower snowpack are well settled in some areas. In others, large facets or depth hoar are present at the bottom of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 0 to 5cm of snow at treeline, possible rain below. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Wednesday
Cloudy. 0 to 2 mm rain at treeline. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Friday
Mostly sunny. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

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.

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.