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 9th, 2026–Apr 10th, 2026

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

Regions

Dogtooth, East Purcell, West Purcell.

Avoid exposure to overhead hazards when solar radiation is strong.

Cornice failures may trigger avalanches on the slopes below.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how the snowpack will react to the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, two skier triggered size 1 wind slabs were reported on northerly aspects at 2600 m.

Observations from this region are currently very limited. Please consider submitting a MIN to let us know what you're seeing out there.

Snowpack Summary

Poor overnight crust recovery and strong solar radiation mixed with high freezing levels are increasing the likelihood of cornice failures and wet avalanches.

A hard crust exists to mountain tops on south-facing terrain and up to around 2400 m on north-facing terrain. 10 to 15 cm of soft snow may still be found on shaded slopes at upper elevations.

A thick crust from mid-March is 20 to 60 cm deep, which extends up to about 2400 m. Near Invermere, weak sugary facets may be found above this crust.

In shallow snowpack areas, depth hoar (large facets) can be found near the bottom of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Friday
Sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Saturday
Mix of sun and cloud. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2800 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow above 2000 m (rain below). 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid exposure to overhead hazards when solar radiation is strong.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling, and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.