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

Feb 27th, 2023–Feb 28th, 2023

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

Regions

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Watch for wind loading primarily around treeline elevations. Wind slabs may not bond well with the hard surfaces below. Expect reactivity and give them a wide berth.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, wind slab avalanches were reported to size 1.5, triggered by sleds. A few small natural wind slab avalanches were also observed in the alpine.

Please post your field observations and photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Around 15 cm of new snow has fallen in the last 3 days. At higher elevations this sits over extremely wind affected surfaces including large sastrugi. Many alpine areas may not hold new snow and instead be stripped back to hard surfaces.

A melt-freeze crust with facets above, sits 50 to 100 cm deep. This crust could be a good sliding surface for avalanche activity but has shown limited reactivity so far. We are monitoring this layer going forward as it may become a persistent problem.

The mid to lower snowpack is considered well bonded at this point. Currently we are not seeing the same basal weak layers and reactivity that many of the neighboring regions are experiencing this season.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with flurries, 2-4 cm. Light to moderate southerly winds. Freezing levels at valley bottom.

Tuesday

Mainly cloudy with light snowfall, up to 5 cm. Light to moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels at valley bottom. Alpine high of -7 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Moderate westerly winds. Alpine high of -6 °C. Freezing levels 500 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with light snowfall overnight and into Thursday. Strong southwest winds. Alpine highs of -7 °C, freezing levels around 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep your guard up at lower elevations. Wind slab formation has been extensive.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Problems

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.