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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 25th, 2024–Apr 26th, 2024

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, South Columbia, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Crawford, Moyie, St. Mary, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

A wintery storm will elevate avalanche danger in high terrain this weekend.

This will be our last forecast for the season. Check out some alternative resources for spring here.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small (mostly size 1) natural and skier-triggered wind slabs were reported earlier in the week. Otherwise, no new avalanches have been observed.

Last week, large cornice failures in high north-facing alpine terrain notably did not propagate any weak layers on the slopes below. This is a good indicator of snowpack stability.

Looking forward, we're expecting to see natural avalanches within the new storm snow.

Snowpack Summary

New snow falls over widespread crusty surfaces on all but high north-facing alpine terrain, where snow is dry and likely wind affected. There are no deeper concerns at this time.

Weather Summary

Heaviest snowfall for this storm will favor areas south of Nakusp; the Goat and Valhalla ranges on Friday and Saturday and in the southern Monashees/Okanagan on Saturday night and Sunday.

Thursday night

5 to 15 cm of new snow in high terrain. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Friday

5 to 10 cm of snow in high terrain. 10 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Saturday

10 to 25 cm of snow in high terrain. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

Sunday

5 to 10 cm of snow overnight, then tapering through the day with another 5 cm possible. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
  • As the storm slab problem gets trickier, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
  • Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 25cm of new snow.
  • Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.

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.