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

Dec 7th, 2024–Dec 8th, 2024

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

Regions

Purcells, East Purcell.

If triggered, wind slabs may slide on a crust buried at the base of the snowpack.

Watch for terrain traps, like creeks and trees, that could increase the consequence of an avalanche.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported, but small avalanches are expected to have occurred on Saturday with the new snow and wind.

Snowpack Summary

Around 10 cm of new snow sits on various layers including sun crusts, surface hoar in sheltered areas, and wind-affected snow.

In the Invermere area, weak faceted snow at the base of the snowpack has caused several small but notable deep persistent slab avalanches. It's unknown if this problem extends to the wider region, so far it hasn't.

Treeline snow depths are generally 50 to 70 cm, with deeper wind-loaded pockets in the alpine.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny. 10 to 15 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.

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.