Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 1st, 2024–Apr 2nd, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

East Kakwa, Kakwa, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Keep checking how well the fresh snow is sticking to the old surface.

Avalanche danger will increase as storm snow piles up, and snowfall amounts could vary across the forecast area.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported but information is limited.

Please consider submitting your observations to the MIN if you head to the backcountry.

Snowpack Summary

By the end of of the day on Tuesday, above 1500 m, 20-30 cm of new snow should be covering another 20 cm of soft, settling snow. Below that, surface hoar crystals overlie faceted or wind-affected snow on northerly alpine terrain or a hard melt-freeze crust elsewhere.

Below 1500 m, expect a moist or wet snow surface due to rain.

A widespread crust that formed in early February is buried anywhere from 50 to 120 cm deep. This crust has a weak layer of faceted grains above it that are slowly strengthening. This layer is currently dormant.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy. Light rain expected. 2-5 cm of snow above 1500 m. Light to moderate southwest ridgetop wind, possibly strong in the north end of the forecast area. Treeline temperature around 1 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy. Moderate rain expected, 15-25 cm of snow above 1500 m. Light to moderate southwest ridgetop wind, possibly strong in the north end of the forecast area. Treeline temperature around 1 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. Light to moderate precipitation continues as the freezing level drops to valley bottom. It could add up to 10-15 cm of snow at high elevations. Light to moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be careful to keep storm day fever from luring you out into bigger terrain features.
Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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 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.