Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Elkford East, Elkford West, Moyie, Purcells, South Rockies, St. Mary.
Strong winds may build wind slabs in more sheltered areas where surface hoar and faceted snow have been buried. Keep an eye out for snow that feels dense or stiff.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in the region.
Observations are limited this time of year. Please consider filling out a MIN report if you head out in the backcountry!
Snowpack Summary
3 to 5 cm of new snow has buried various surfaces; surface hoar in sheltered terrain, heavily wind-affected in open alpine, melt-freeze crusts on steep solar aspects, and faceted soft snow.
A crust with facets or depth hoar exists at or near the ground. The snowpack is shallower than average for this time of year, with depths at treeline ranging from 20 -50 cm and tapers rapidly below.
Weather Summary
Sunday Night
Cloudy with scattered flurries, trace to 3 cm accumulation. Southwest alpine wind 10 to 30 km/h higher wind speeds in the south of this region. Treeline temperatures -8 °C warmer in the south of this region -5 °C.
Monday
Partly cloudy, scattered flurries, trace accumulations. Southwest alpine winds are 10 to 40 km/h, highest in the south of the region. Treeline temperatures -5 °C warming starting in the south overnight with freezing levels rising above 2000 m.
Tuesday
Cloudy with mixed precipitation, 10 to 20 cm accumulation of snow switching to rain. Southwest alpine winds 30 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2500 to 2700 m in the south of the region.
Wednesday
Partly cloudy, scattered flurries with 2 to 5 cm accumulation. Southwest alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperatures 0 °C with freezing levels dropping between 1500 to 2000 m with the warmest temperatures in the south of the region.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
- Avalanche danger is often elevated in alpine gullies where snow has accumulated.
- Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
The base of our thin snowpack is weak and faceted. Steep pockets of deeper, wind-loaded snow are the most likely to break away from this weak base under the weight of a person or machine.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5