Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 26th, 2018–Mar 27th, 2018

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary.

More snow and wind will continue to build slabs on a touchy layer of crusts and buried surface hoar. Assess the bond between the new snow and the old surface before committing to bigger slopes.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

TONIGHT: Flurries. Accumulation 5-15 cm. Ridge wind moderate to strong, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1400 m.TUESDAY: Snow. Accumulation 10-15 cm. Ridge wind strong, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1600 m.WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Ridge wind light to moderate, northwest. Alpine temperature near -6. Freezing level 1500 m.THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Ridge wind light to moderate, west. Alpine temperature near -4. Freezing level 1500 m.

Avalanche Summary

Sunday there was a report of a natural size 2 wind slab and a skier triggered size 1 wind slab release. Both of these were on northeasterly aspects above 2000 m. Also on Sunday explosive control work produced numerous size 1.5-2 storm slab results all failing in the recent storm snow (25-40 cm deep) on north and northwest aspects above 2000 m.Saturday we received reports of several remotely (from a distance) triggered and skier-triggered size 2 storm slab release that failed 40-50 cm deep on a mix of buried crusts, surface hoar and facets. Explosive control work also produced size 1.5-2 storm slab results running on a crust on southeast aspects from 1900 -2000 m. Read more here. And here.Last week on Thursday and Friday, there were reports of natural (size 1.5-2) storm slab releases on north and west aspects in the alpine that were suspected to have failed overnight during the storm, as well as size 1 skier triggered storm snow releases in steep, leeward terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Around 30 - 40 cm of recent storm sits on a mixture of weak grains including a crust that is present at all elevations on solar aspects and all aspects below 1900 m elevation. On northerly aspects at and above treeline the storm snow is burying a mix of large surface hoar and surface facets.Two other weak layers are present in the upper snowpack. The mid March interface is down 30 to 60 cm and it resembles the old surface; crust on solar, surface hoar on high elevation north.The early March interface is 50 to 80 cm below the surface and is similar in composition to those listed above.A few other persistent weak layers are buried in the mid and lower snowpack, but they have gone dormant and are unlikely to resurface until we move into a period with consecutive above-freezing nights later in the spring.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.