Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Mar 30 – 31, 2025Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 2 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate

Highlights

Cooling temperatures are reducing the likelihood of triggering large persistent slab avalanches.

Avoid steep or convex terrain features with a shallow, rocky snowpack.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    A cooling weather pattern is reducing the likelihood of human-triggered weak layers in the snowpack. Avoid shallow or variable depth snowpack areas and slopes above cliffs.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A cornice fall triggered a large size 2.5 avalanche that released to the ground near Kimberly on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snow buries a surface crust that varies in thickness and supportiveness.

Depending on elevation, Refrozen and moist snow can be found in the upper snowpack.

Below this, weak layers of facets and crusts remain a concern for human-triggering where a supportive melt-freeze crust has not yet formed or breaks down during the day with rising freezing levels and periods of sun.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Increasing clouds. 10 to 15 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Monday

Cloudy, isolated flurries, 1 to 2 cm. 10 to 15 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing levels 1700 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy, flurries, 2 to 4 cm. 15 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy, isolated flurries, 1 to 2 cm. 20 to 30 km/h ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Regions covered