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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 31st, 2014–Apr 1st, 2014

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

Regions

Purcells.

Confidence

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain

Weather Forecast

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Freezing level 1600m. Winds west and northwest light.Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud. Freezing level 1600m. Light west winds.Thursday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Winds light south. Freezing level 1700m.

Avalanche Summary

Recent reports indicate are limited to loose dry and moist snow avalanches running in steep terrain in the alpine and at tree-line. Expect to see natural avalanche activity rise with extended periods of sun and an increase in air temperatures later in the week.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 50cm of new snow has fallen in the central part of the region in the last 3 days (5-10cm in the northern part of the region). This new snow is settling and being formed into soft wind slabs immediately lee of ridge crests recent westerly winds.Numerous crusts can be found in the upper 60cm of the snowpack on south facing slopes. The March 15 crust/surface hoar interface is down 50-80cm. Down 90-120cm below the surface you may find surface hoar and crusts buried at the beginning of March. This interface is still touchy in some areas, particularly in the north of the region. It also continues to produce sudden planar failures in compression tests.The deeper facet/crust persistent weakness buried at the beginning of February, now down 120 - 200cm, still seems to be reactive and should not be trusted. Needless to say, any avalanche at these deeper, persistent interfaces would be large and destructive. Weak basal facets exist in many areas, but without a large load, triggering is unlikely.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.