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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 19th, 2024–Mar 20th, 2024

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

North Rockies, Sugarbowl, East Kakwa, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Tumbler.

Where a thick surface crust is present, large avalanches are less likely.

If unsure, choose mellow terrain and avoid being under steep slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported. As temperatures drop, we expect natural avalanche activity to be less common.

A widespread natural avalanche cycle, with persistent slab avalanches up to size 2.5, continued until Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Previously moist or wet snow surfaces are cooling and forming a melt freeze crust. The strong crust is expected to decrease the likelihood of triggering avalanches.

A widespread crust that formed in early February is buried about 50 to 110 cm deep. This crust has a weak layer of facets above it in many areas.

The eastern portion of this region has a much shallower, highly variable and wind-affected snowpack.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h east ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures drop to -6 °C. Freezing level 1000 m dropping to surface.

Wednesday

Cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures -3 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with trace snow flurries. 30 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures -5 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with trace snow flurries. 20 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.

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.