Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Oct 1 – 2, 2019Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 7 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
No rating
Treeline
No rating
Below
No rating
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Highlights

The September Snowpocalypse brought 60-100cm to the park creating winter conditions overnight. The potential for avalanches exists on scrambling routes and hiking trails that lead above the treeline.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Enough snow has fallen to create winter like conditions up high. Be on the lookout for pockets of windslab especially in confined features.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    As temperatures increase after the storm, so will the likelihood of loose avalanches. If travelling in steeper terrain, always be thinking about where a small avalanche could push you.

Weather Forecast

Check Environment Canada for current updates of the weather forecast. After the un-seasonal dump, the first week of October looks to be a mix of sunny days and flurries bringing small amounts of snow. Freezing levels should rise above mountain top by the end of the weekend, which will quickly make snow in the valley bottoms disappear.

Snowpack Summary

A significant upslope storm has deposited 60-100cm of snow in the park. This came with strong winds out of the North East, and formed windslabs in gulley features and on SW aspects, and created drifts up to a meter and a half deep. As this snow melts down low, be aware of the potential for dry snow and winter avalanche conditions in the alpine.

Avalanche Summary

Several small windslabs to size 1.5 were observed in gulley features during and immediately after the storm. As temperatures warm, expect to see loose avalanches to size 1 on solar aspects at all elevations

Confidence

Regions covered