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 2nd, 2024–Mar 3rd, 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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Look for signs of instability and assess for wind slab as you move through terrain.

Wind slabs remain the primary concern.

The likelihood of avalanches could increase if the sun comes out.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in this region.

Numerous large to very large natural and human triggered persistent slab avalanches continue to be reported in the neighboring region . Some have run full path to valley bottoms. Many of the human triggered avalanches have been reported as remotely triggered (from a distance). This speaks to the sensitivity of the persistent slab.

Snowpack Summary

A variety of surfaces can be found including a new crust on sun exposed terrain and wind effect in the alpine.

A thick and hard widespread crust that formed in early February is buried about 40 to 70 cm deep. This crust may have a layer of facets above it.

The snowpack below this crust is generally not concerning.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

A mix of clear skies and cloud with up to 5 cm of new snow. 15 to 30 km/h southeast alpine wind switching to southwest. Treeline temperature  -10°C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with 2 to 4 cm of new snow. 5 to 25 km/h south alpine wind.  Treeline temperature -9°C.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of new snow. 10 to 25 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature  -8°C.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny. 5 to 20 km/h northwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -13°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.

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.

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.