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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 24th, 2024–Mar 25th, 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

Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard, Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West.

20 to 25 cm of recent snow and strong northwest wind have formed wind slabs at treeline and above.

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Several naturally triggered dry loose avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported on steep slopes in the alpine on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 25 cm of recent snow and strong northwest wind have formed wind slabs on lee features at treeline and above. This snow overlies predominantly crusty surfaces, except for northerly aspects at upper elevations.

A widespread, hard crust with facets above is buried 80 to 120 cm down in the South Rockies and up to 200 cm in the Lizard range. Steep or convex terrain features with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack at treeline and above are the most likely places to trigger this layer. However, when a thick surface crust is present, human triggering this layer is unlikely.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Clear skies. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, 0 to 5 cm. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Check out the Mountain Weather Forecast for additional weather information.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Cornice failure may trigger large avalanches.

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.