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

Feb 3rd, 2024–Feb 4th, 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

Kootenay Boundary, South Columbia, Bonnington, Grohman, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Esplanade, North Selkirk, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, North Okanagan, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Winter is back! ❄️ Rugged travel down low could be rewarded with good riding up high.

Evaluate how new snow is bonding to the crust and avoid areas where it feels stiff or slabby.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

We expect avalanche activity to increase on Sunday with cooler temperatures and fresh snowfall. As you gain elevation, evaluate how new snow is bonding to the crust and look for signs of instability.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of new snow overlies a crust at most elevations. Below 1000 m surface snow may remain moist or wet.

A layer of facets (and small surface hoar in some areas) is buried 30-60 cm deep and a layer of facets on a crust is buried 80-100 cm deep. While cooler temperatures have allowed these layers to strengthen we continue to monitor them for signs of reactivity.

The snowpack depth at treeline is roughly 100 to 150 cm

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with snowfall, 5 to 15 cm of accumulation. Alpine wind northeast 5 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature -3 °C, freezing level 1000 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with continued snowfall, up to 5 cm accumulation. Alpine wind east 5 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C, freezing level 1200 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine wind southeast 10 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C, freezing level 1300 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with snowfall, up to 5 cm of accumulation. Alpine wind southwest 10 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.