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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 24th, 2023–Apr 25th, 2023

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Clearwater, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Be diligent in making ongoing assessments. This time of year conditions and hazard will vary greatly from one slope to another and can change quickly throughout the day.

If in doubt choose more conservative terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days in the region.

Please help out your fellow backcountry users by filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Generally, spring is advancing and the winter snowpack is melting away, at least at lower elevations.

Dry, powder snow may remain at the highest elevations on north-facing terrain, along with the potential for fresh wind and storm slabs. While melt-freeze crusts or moist snow are likely to be found on steep solar slopes and at lower elevations.

Avalanche danger will be closely coupled to warm temperatures, rain, and melting. The more the crust weakens, and the deeper the wetness goes, the greater the hazard from wet loose avalanches.

The mid- and lower-snowpack is generally well-settled. In some areas, the lower snowpack may have a layer of weak facets near the ground.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with a few mm of precipitation possible, rain turning to snow overnight as freezing levels fall to 1200 m. Light to moderate southwest winds.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation expected. Light to moderate westerly winds and freezing level rising to 2200 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation expected. Moderate westerly winds and freezing level rising to 2700 m.

Thursday

Mostly sunny with no new precipitation expected. Moderate to strong westerly winds and freezing level rising to 3100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • The more the snowpack warms-up and weakens, the more conservative you`ll want to be with your terrain selection.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.