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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 17th, 2019–Apr 18th, 2019

Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Winter is back and will stick around into the weekend, so adjust your plans accordingly. No spring corn; expect rain at low elevations and deep snow in the high alpine with some clearing late Friday. The avalanche danger is rising in alpine areas.

Weather Forecast

A significant storm will cross the area starting on Wed evening, building through Thurs and tapering my mid-day on Friday. Expect 30 cm of new snow and rain at lower elevations, along with extreme winds and freezing levels holding steady at 2000m. Temperatures drop and the weather will stabilize somewhat over the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

Between 60-80 cm of snow has fallen in the last week. Extreme west winds on Wed have created windspread windslabs in high alpine areas (>3000m) over 100+ cm deep along with significant sluffing of loose snow. Conditions change dramatically with elevation so be wary that the low and treeline elevations are not representative of the high alpine now.

Avalanche Summary

Widespread dry loose snow avalanches and large slab avalanches were observed today and over the past 24-hours in steep, high alpine terrain.

Confidence

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.

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.