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

Apr 23rd, 2024–Apr 24th, 2024

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

Regions

Purcells, South Rockies, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Wind slabs may remain in isolated locations on steep slopes in the alpine.

Assess for slabs before entering high consequence terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, a large cornice failure triggered a slab, entrained mass, and ended up as a size 2.5 wet loose avalanche.

Field observations are currently very limited in this region. Please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Northerly alpine slopes hold 10 to 20 cm of settled storm snow that overlies a hard melt-freeze crust. Isolated wind slabs may linger in steep northerly alpine terrain. All other aspects and everywhere below treeline have a hard surface crust.

The remainder of the upper snowpack is a mix of hard snow and crusts. The lower snowpack contains old weak layers that are currently dormant.

Weather Summary

Tuesday night

Clear skies. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +3 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.

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.