Avalanche forecast

Waterton Lakes

Apr 13 – 14, 2015Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

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

Forecast cooling and a bit more snow on Tuesday should keep winter alive at upper elevations for a few days yet...

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    New snow Tuesday will add to slabs that can be found in the highest north facing terrain.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Cornices are large and are susceptible to the powerful solar heating at this time of year. A falling cornice can create a large avalanche on the slope it hits giving them surprising reach in their destructive potential.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2
    As the sun comes out on Thursday, expect the new snow to fail easily over the crusts.

Weather Forecast

After freezing levels went over 2600m Monday, a limited recovery is expected. An expected 15mm of precip will start in the morning falling as snow above 1800m and lowering as a cold front passes late in the day.  Wednesday should remain cool with winds out of the North before temperatures start to climb again on Thursday with mainly sunny skies.

Snowpack Summary

10cm of snow fell over the weekend and moderate W winds created widespread wind slabs Treeline and above. This snow sits on a solid crust found everywhere but above 2400m on N aspects. Strong heating today created new surface crust on all but the highest N aspects and widespread loose dry and wet activity has affected snow surfaces.

Avalanche Summary

With the snow over the weekend there was a limited cycle of loose dry avalanches out of steep shaded terrain. With strong heating today widespread loose wet and a limited amount of wet slab activity was seen as the storm snow failed over the previous crusts.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Tuesday

Regions covered