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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 5th, 2025–Apr 6th, 2025

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir, Crawford, Moyie, St. Mary, Kokanee.

Avalanche danger is expected to increase throughout the day.

Surface instabilities or large cornice falls may step down to deeper persistent weak layers.

 Read the new forecasters' blog.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, surface sluffing was reported across the region on steep terrain, including rider-triggered dry loose on northerly slopes and solar-induced wet loose on southerly slopes.

Expect increasing avalanche activity within the recent storm snow with the forecasted warm weather.

Snowpack Summary

A spring diurnal cycle occurred up to 2000 m. The surface is either moist or capped with a thin crust on all aspects and elevations except for high northerly slopes where up to 25 cm of settled snow overlies a thick crust from late March. Below these crusts, the upper snowpack is moist.

Several weak layers from early March, mid-February, and late January can be found in the mid and lower snowpack.

The remainder of the snowpack is generally well settled.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Clear. 15 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +0 °C. Freezing level around 1800 m with temperature inversion.

Sunday

Sunny. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +8° C. Freezing level around 3000 m.

Monday

Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of wet snow or rain. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4° C. Freezing level lowering to 2500 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of new snow. 20 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2° C. Freezing level around 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche danger is expected to increase throughout the day.
  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
  • The likelihood of deep persistent slab avalanches will increase with each day of warm weather.

Problems

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.

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.