Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries bringing trace amounts of snow to eastern parts of the region, strong northeast wind gradually easing through the night, alpine low -16 C.

Thursday: Sky clearing, light wind from the northeast, alpine temperatures around -12 C.

Friday: Clear skies, moderate wind from the northeast, alpine temperatures rising to -7 C.

Saturday: Clear skies, light wind from the southwest, alpine temperatures around -10 C.

Possible locations where avalanches could be triggered right now include near ridge tops and on slopes where the wind has deposited blowing snow. Early season avalanches can most easily propagate and run in areas where the underlying ground is smooth, such as on glaciers, rock slabs, scree slopes, or grassy slopes. 

Observations are limited this time of year, so there is a fair bit of uncertainty about the extent of current avalanche activity. If you see anything while out in the field, please consider sharing that information with us and fellow recreationists via the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Strong winds are expected to form new wind slabs on south and west aspects. Previous wind slabs may still exist on other aspects. In more sheltered areas, the snow surface may feel sugary due to the recent cold temperatures. A MIN post from yesterday observed a snow pack largely characterized by sandwiches of crusts and large, weak snow crystals (facets). We're also keeping an eye on a potential surface hoar layer (see video here). With few field observations, uncertainty remains on the distribution and reactivity of these layers. It's still early season and the snow pack remains fairly thin. At the deepest, up to 100 cm can be found on north aspects in the alpine.