Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 24th, 2026–Mar 25th, 2026

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 possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Up to 40 cm of new snow combined with strong to extreme winds will elevate hazard to High in the alpine. Model guidance varies on snowfall amounts, so err on the side of caution.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about forecast precipitation amounts.

Avalanche Summary

Sunshine patrol reported ski cutting small loose dry avalanches in the new snow (13cm as of Tuesday @ 3pm), running quickly on crusts. Lake Louise patrol reported triggering size 1 avalanches, about 10 cm thick, in immediate alpine lees terrain on Tuesday. No other avalanches were observed or reported.

Snowpack Summary

New snow has begun, with about 5 cm so far. Above 2200 m, it overlies last week’s storm snow. Below 2200 m, it falls on the Mar 20 rain crust, with additional sun crusts on solar aspects. The Mar 20 crust thickens with decreasing elevation. Fresh wind slabs will build through Weds with new snow and strong SW winds. The January 24 facet layer is buried 100–180 cm deep at tree-line and in the alpine, with some tests still producing hard, sudden results.

Weather Summary

15 - 40 cm of snow is expected by end of day Wednesday. Temperatures will remain cool, with valley bottoms near 0 and ridgetop temperatures around -12. Freezing levels are forecast to remain at or below the surface, so precipitation should fall as snow, though some uncertainty remains. Strong southwest winds at 3000 m, up to 80 km/h, are expected to accompany the storm.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Give the new snow several days to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger 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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.