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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 27th, 2026–Mar 28th, 2026

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

Regions

Haines Pass, Chilkat Pass.

Avalanche hazard is decreasing, but a buried persistent weak layer can still produce large, destructive avalanches.

Conditions Update Here

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, a widely propagating size 3 natural persistent slab was observed on a southeast alpine face.

On Tuesday, multiple widely propagating natural avalanches were observed in steep terrain. A cornice was also remotely triggered by snowmobilers. Read more in this MIN report.

A very large avalanche resulted in a fatality on March 22 near Mt McDonell. More information can be found here.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of low-density snow covers a supportive crust. At ridgeline and exposed terrain, strong winds have left slabs and wind-pressed surfaces. Recent wind slabs have failed naturally and are reactive to ridgers, particularly where they cover a weak layer of crust/facets.

A notable layer of facets or a crust/facet combination is buried 100-200 cm and continues to show reactivity in test profiles. With the depth of this layer, a concern for triggering would be in shallow, thin to thick areas or from a large trigger, such as a cornice fall.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Clear skies. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Saturday

Sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.
  • Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.

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.

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.