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 20th, 2024–Mar 21st, 2024

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.
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 unlikely.

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

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported. With a thick surface crust forming from below-freezing temperatures, we expect persistent slab avalanches to become unlikely to trigger.

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

Snowpack Summary

About 5 cm of new snow now overlies a strong melt-freeze crust. This crust is expected to decrease the likelihood of triggering avalanches.

A widespread crust, 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.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear. 15 to 30 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures drop to -12 °C. Freezing level 1000 m dropping to surface.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures -8 °C.

Friday

Few clouds. 20 to 30 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures -10 °C.

Saturday

Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures -10 °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.