Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Waterton Lakes.
Weather Forecast
Temperatures remain relatively cool, with 10-15cm of snow forecast for Friday night into Saturday morning accompanied by moderate SW wind. Skies clear by Saturday evening as the winds shift to being more westerly. Cloudy skies return for Sunday afternoon as the trailing end of a weak front brings flurries and ongoing westerly wind into Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 50mm in the past week, accompanied by warm temperatures and strong SW winds. This has left in it's wake a well settled snowpack below treeline; a couple of buried crusts, down as deep as 30cm and 50cm (widespread below 2200m and extending into the alpine on solar aspects), and several layers of stiff windslab in the alpine and at treeline.
Avalanche Summary
A few natural size 1-1.5 avalanches occurred Thursday night into Friday morning out of N-E facing terrain at treeline, these are suspected to have been windslabs.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, South West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, South West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 3