Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Apr 1 – 4, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

It's the time of year where we are transitioning from winter to spring. Forecasted warm temperatures, high freezing levels and rain/snow in the next few days have the potential to change the snowpack quickly. Hazard can change throughout the day so use caution on warm days.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–3

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few natural wet loose avalanches have been observed up to size 1.5 on solar aspects.

Snowpack Summary

Sun crust on solar aspects, breaking down daily with daytime warming. Consolidated dry snow on polar aspects with the March 21st down 20 - 40 cm. The Feb 3rd crust/facet weak layer is buried 60-120 cm deep. Below this, the snowpack consists of a mixture of settled snow and crust/facet layers to ground. Snowpack depths between 80 - 250 cm.

Weather Summary

Tues

Sunny with strong W winds. Freezing levels above ridgetop with a high of +10°C at treeline.

Wed

Mainly cloudy, a few rain showers or snow flurries possible. Moderate W winds. Freezing level lowering to 2000 m and temperatures around +4°C at treeline.

Thurs

Up to 10 cm of snow by Friday morning, moderate NE winds. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

For more info: Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.

Regions covered