Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 21st, 2025–Mar 22nd, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

South Rockies, Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

10 to 15 cm of recent snow and southwest wind have formed wind slabs on lee aspects at treeline and above.

Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs are more likely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in this region on Thursday. However, observations are limited in this region.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 15 cm of recent snow and southwest wind have formed wind slabs on lee aspects at treeline and above.

Around 40 to 50 cm of snow overlies a melt-freeze crust, except for high-elevation north and east-facing slopes.

A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets from late January is down 50 to 100 cm. Rocky slopes with a convex shape on northerly and easterly facing aspects at treeline and above are the most likely places to trigger this layer.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Partly cloudy with 3 to 10 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h west winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy skies. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Monday

Mix of sun and cloud. 40 to 50 km/h west ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level rapidly rising to 2400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.

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.

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 Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.