Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Waterton Lakes.
Continued blips of upslope snowfall paired with periods of wind will create pockets of windslab in the alpine and upper treeline over the next few days.
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: 5-15cm upslope snow Monday night followed by moderate NE winds and a clear and calm period during the day. Freezing level 1700m.
Wednesday: Cloudy with strong ridge winds from the west. Freezing level 1400m.
Thursday: Cloudy with potential for 5-20cm of snowfall between Wednesday night and Thursday night.
Snowpack Summary
5-20cm of settled storm snow sits on a thick crust that exists to ridgetop except on high north faces. This tops a well consolidated snowpack with the lower half composed of dense facets and decomposing crusts, none of which have been reactive in snowpack tests or recent avalanches.
Avalanche Summary
One natural size 1 windslab was seen in a steep immediate lee feature in the Twin Lakes area.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Thursday
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Little pulses of snow over the next few days paired with periods of variable wind will build slabs in immediate lee features. Assess the bond of slab to the crust below, and use small representative test slopes to get a picture of reactivity.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2