Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Crawford, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Purcells, St. Mary.
Assess for wind slabs along ridges and in alpine terrain.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
Small (size 1) wind slab avalanches were reported on north-facing slopes over the past few days. One natural size 2 wind slab occurred west of Invermere on Tuesday.
A few small dry loose avalanches have also been reported.
Snowpack Summary
5 to 15 cm of dry snow may be found on north-facing slopes, otherwise, the upper snowpack consists of various melt-freeze layers.
The facet/crust layer that caused large avalanches in March is buried 100 to 150 cm deep. It is unlikely to trigger under the current conditions but could re-emerge as a concern later this season in high alpine terrain.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy. 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with up to 1 cm of snow in the afternoon. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.
Friday
1 to 2 cm of snow in the morning then clearing skies in the afternoon. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.
Saturday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.