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 10th, 2021–Dec 11th, 2021

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary.

Fresh storm slabs are forming over a shallowly buried weak layer. This means they are easily triggered and may be larger than expected. Stick to simple terrain free of overhead hazard.

Confidence

High - We are confident the likelihood of avalanche will increase with the arrival of the forecast weather.

Weather Forecast

Friday night: 5-10 cm of new snow. Strong southwest wind. Freezing level climbing to 800 m.

Saturday: 5-15 cm of new snow. Strong southwest wind. Treeline temperatures around -1 C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Sunday: 10-25 cm of new snow. Moderate southwest wind. Treeline temperatures around -6 C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Monday: 10-20 cm of new snow. Light southeast wind. Treeline temperatures around -4 C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche activity has been limited to small sluffs or soft slabs running above the shallowly buried crust. 

Avalanche activity is expected to be larger and more widespread during the storm on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

10-25 cm of new snow falls amid strong wind. This new snow falls on top of ~20 cm of settling snow from the past week, sandwiched by crusts above and below. The lower crust is the most prominent and widespread, formed during last week's atmospheric river. There is also a thin breakable crust closer to the surface. We are uncertain about how reactive the recent snow will be as it settles over the upcoming days. Snow depths are roughly 60-120 cm at treeline and the majority of the lower snowpack consists of thick crust layers.

Terrain and Travel

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Good day to make conservative terrain choices.
  • Stick to well supported, lower angle terrain.

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.