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

Nov 4th, 2019–Nov 5th, 2019

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Tuesday is a day to avoid steep alpine gullies where the new snow and wind will combine to create loose dry avalanches and small wind slabs that could funnel onto climbers or skiers. Things improve Wednesday with cooler temperatures and light winds.

Weather Forecast

A cold front moving through the region on Tuesday may result in as much as 10-15 cm of new snow by Tuesday night. Temperatures will start falling throughout the day to reach the -10 to -15 'C range by the end of the day, and winds will start out strong and gusty from the West and diminish through the afternoon.

Snowpack Summary

2-5 cm of new snow on Monday with gusty alpine winds and warm temperatures. Moist snow below 2300 m. Treeline snow depths range from 30-50 cm with up to 80 cm in the lee features. In general the snowpack is still thin, weak and highly variable in depth. An October crust has been providing support to help ski travel. Limited snow below treeline.

Avalanche Summary

A couple large dry loose avalanches/sluffs up to size 1.5 were observed Monday in steep alpine gullies near Bow Lake. One small natural wind slab observed in alpine terrain near Bow Summit.

Confidence

Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Tuesday

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.