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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 20th, 2023–Feb 21st, 2023

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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
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, human triggered possible.

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Ongoing snow and winds have produced dangerous avalanche conditions. Stick to low-angle terrain with no overhead hazard, like large avalanche paths or cornices.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

With ongoing wind and heavy snow overnight, surface slabs are expected to remain reactive through Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

New storm and wind slab formation will continue through the day on Tuesday. The new snow may take some time to bond to the underlying snow surfaces, especially on south aspects where a thin melt-freeze crust may be present.

The middle of the snowpack is firm and well-consolidated. Weak faceted grains exist near the base of the snowpack but have not yet created a major problem, unlike some of the neighboring regions. However, we continue to track this layer and may see a problem develop as more snow accumulates and slab formation continues above it.

The average snowpack depth is around 150 cm while up to 250 cm can be found in wind-loaded areas.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Snowfall with 5 to 20 cm, with higher amounts in the south of the region. Moderate westerly alpine winds. shifting to the northeast by the morning. Treeline temperatures around -5 C, dropping to -15 C by the morning.

Tuesday

Snow continues, 2 to 10 cm, with higher values in the south of the region. Light to moderate northeast alpine winds. Treeline temperatures -15 to -25 C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods, trace snow amounts. Moderate Northeast alpine winds. Treeline temperatures -20 to -25 C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud, no precipitation. Moderate Northeast alpine winds. Treeline temperatures -20 to -30 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.